All for All
by Akki Lira
Summary: Anthro AU: It's been ten years since Mike last saw Foxy, so what a shock it is when the captain of the infamous pirate ship The Crimson Vixen turns out to be his childhood friend! Even more shocking? Getting kidnapped by the pirate, making unexpected new friends, finding out magic exists and being pulled into an adventure that might just be the death of them all! Wait, what?
1. Introduction

_A/N: Why hello people of the world, I have finally gotten the chance to write something! I started this on the desktop so I wrote this expecting it to be a oneshot buuuut my monitor died without warning (and yes it IS DEAD, none of the cables are loose), and I'm on a laptop and finally out of view of my sister, so I can write without being judged!_

_**Warning, **__this is an introduction and it is a bit boring as hell, sorry. And later on there WILL BE FOXYxMIKE. Why do I warn you of this? A) Lots of people dislike that pairing. B) They're both male, C) Foxy is an anthropomorphic fox while Mike is human, and D) Foxy is like 9 years Mike's senior. So yea. _

_Disclaimer: I own nothing!_

* * *

He was born in 2407, on the hundredth year anniversary of the end of the war. His parents weren't rich, but they weren't poor either. Plus, they were rather well loved around the small port town of Myrland. He began school at the young age of four years old, like all other boys and girls in the town, and when he was old enough to work he would help his father in his clock making shop.

His black hair and pale skin wasn't very unique in the town, but his striking icy blue eyes caught attention. Even as a young child he was considered quite the mystery- the boy with the icy blue eyes. Nothing else about him, though, was very well known. He was a very reserved child growing up, never hesitating to help a soul in need but never going out of his way to talk to the other children.

His name was simply Michael Schmidt.

Mike Schmidt was loved by the adults in the town- Human and Animal. But the other children thought him… strange. He was such an oddity- so quiet, so smart, so… so _mature_. None of them really knew how to talk to him, so they never tried.

Michael Schmidt was a lonely child.

Then, one day when he was six years old, he was walking down the cobbled street near the docks, to deliver a baked gift from his mother to the vulpine family that had recently moved in downtown. When he came upon the large home in the downtown area, with a perfect view of the ocean, there was a crowd of children out front, and a teenage vulpine Animal was speaking with a strange accent.

Curiosity piqued, Mike approached, nervous though he was to be in a large crowd. Soon he was close enough to make out the words.

"An' then the dread pirate swooped down on ol' Cap'n Pinto, sword ready to stop 'is heart, but the ol' Cap'n wasn't givin' up so easily! He drew 'is own sword in the lick o' time ta stop Cap'n Scrawlbeard!"

For the first time in his short life, something had finally caught Mike's attention.

* * *

Mike came back every day after that to hear the stories the teen vulpine told, all harrowing tales of pirates. Even the heroes in the stories were pirates, something the adults disapproved of greatly- they were a port town, they had pirate attacks every now and then.

Everyone knew pirates were bad.

He didn't care, though. The teen, whose name turned out to be Foxy, narrated fantastic, fun, awe-inspiring tales of danger and adventure.

One morning, though, about a week and a half after the vulpine moved in, Mike trotted up to the house to find all of the children gone. Foxy sat on the porch, staring out at the sea. He looked so sad.

Instead of turning away, Mike approached.

"Mr. Foxy?" he asked softly, his voice barely carrying over the wind. Foxy turned to look at the child, apparently surprised.

"Sorry, kid," he started, looking back to the sea, "no stories today."

"That's okay," Mike said, "not every day has to be a story day. My dad says everyone needs some time to themselves."

Foxy's ears twitched and he looked at the child, brow furrowing. "How old are you?" he asked after a few seconds of silence.

"I'm six," Mike answered. "I'll be seven next month."

"Six?" Foxy looked like he didn't know whether to be surprised or not. He certainly looked six… but he didn't sound anything like a six year old.

No six year old should sound so mature and serious.

Mike nodded. "How old are you, Mr. Foxy?"

"Um… I turned fifteen about seven months back." The vulpine blinked. "What's your name?"

"Mike Schmidt."

"C'mere, Mikey," Foxy said, slipping into his storytelling pirate accent and patting the spot next to him. "Let ol' Foxy tell ye a story. Ye mind if I call you tha', Mikey?"

* * *

From that day on, Mike was right beside Foxy for every story. Once the story was over, he would stay behind to just _talk. _Both of their parents found it strange- and Mike's found it a little unnerving- but Mike was smiling more and Foxy seemed content to sit still for a while, so both accepted the friendship… albeit cautiously.

Mike's parents still kept in mind that Foxy was nine years older than their son, but Mike disregarded it. Foxy was fun to be around. He was there to help Mike forget about the other children who always ignored him, always there to help him when his older sister or younger brother hurt his feelings. He quickly became a constant in Mike's life.

Likewise, Foxy enjoyed talking to the kid, who had begun to loosen up and finally act like, well, a kid. He enjoyed telling Mikey about the seas and the good pirates that live on them. He enjoyed telling Mikey all about the dreams he himself had had when he was Mikey's age. He enjoyed having Mikey's support.

He enjoyed having someone believe in him.

* * *

The calm and happiness lasted until Mike's eighth birthday. Then the Sickness came to little Myrland. There was no cure, not even in the capital of Thonsborough, and port towns like Myrland were far more likely to fall to the Sickness.

The townspeople were getting hysterical, people were getting sick and dying everywhere all over town- and it wasn't a pretty death either. First their extremities began blackening, and then blood would begin seeping out of different orifices of the body. All the while the victim was conscious, usually heard screaming and crying for help, for the pain to stop… it was horrible to watch, and worse to experience.

No one survived the Sickness, so when Mike's mother was discovered to have the Sickness, he cried. He didn't remember the last time he cried, but as they took his mother away to quarantine, he cried harder than he had ever cried in his life.

Then he ran to Foxy.

Foxy was on his porch, as he usually was, overlooking the sea. It had been a few weeks since any children came to listen to his stories of adventure. Only Mike ever came around anymore. Mike was the only reason Foxy was still sticking around- that smile that lit up the world.

"Foxy!" he heard the familiar voice, but it sounded… different. Mike's voice was distressed- moreso than it had been before. Foxy turned to the steps as Mike ran up them. There was no usual smile, no hopeful glint in the boy's eyes, no happiness…

"Mikey? What's wrong?" Foxy asked, a bit alarmed, as he stood out of his seat to approach the sobbing child. "Mikey?"

"M-mama," the kid was able to choke out, "M-mama got the Sickness, Foxy. Mama got the Sickness and they think papa got it too."

Foxy knew something else the child didn't. If it turned out his parents had the Sickness, it would be assumed Mike and all of his siblings had it too… they would take Mike away, put him in quarantine with all of those ill children. They would take Mike away from Foxy, and Foxy knew there was nothing he could do to stop it.

After all, it was very likely if two people in Mike's household had the Sickness, Mike did too.

"Foxy?" Mike sniffled, watching the frozen fox. Foxy's eyes were wide, and he looked distraught. "Foxy what can I do?"

"I…" Foxy didn't know how to answer. His little Mikey could die any time within the next week if he had the Sickness, and any time in the next month even if he didn't have it- he'd get it while in quarantine. "Mikey…" He didn't want to see Mike die. He didn't want to hear Mike scream or bleed- he didn't want that. He wouldn't be able to stand it.

If Mike died, there was no reason for him to stay.

"Foxy…?"

"Mikey…" Foxy sighed and ran a hand through the fur on his head, ears flattened. "I… I'm sorry, Mikey."

He really was.

* * *

Three days later Mike and his three sibling were taken into quarantine. Foxy knew he would probably never see little Mikey again.

So Foxy left. Without a word to anyone, not to his parents, not to the townspeople, not to the children, he just upped and left in the middle of the night. Seventeen years old, he decided it was finally time to pursue his own dreams- and maybe, just maybe, forget all of what happened in Myrland.

He never forgot.


	2. Chapter 1

_A/N: Because it's stupid to leave off on an introduction chapter._

_Also, here's a monetary system;_

_Copper piece _

_Bronze piece = 5 coppers_

_Silver piece = 5 bronzes, 25 coppers_

_Gold piece = 5 silvers, 25 bronzes, 125 coppers_

* * *

**-10 Years Later-**

The wind was blowing strong on the seas that day and the morning sun was just peaking over the watery horizon. Crossing the beam of sunlight was a large ship, black and adorned with beautiful red accents and what looked like a carving of a red mer-vixen on the front, long hair of the mer folk splaying around her head and shoulders and her long blood-red tail reaching down as far as it could go.

Painted on the side in curved lettering were the words _The Crimson Vixen_. Appropriately named, everyone would agree, and one of the most beautiful ships on the seas…

If only it weren't a pirate ship.

The vulpine captain was Foxy, who became the ship's captain at the tender age of nineteen. Foxy stood at the bow of the ship, watching as land rolled into view.

"Freddy!" Foxy called to his first mate and best friend. Freddy, a bear Animal, came over to his captain.

"Yes, Foxy?" he asked, a slight accent lilting in his voice. He was obviously from one of the southern coastal lands, perhaps the surviving city of Savannah, but Foxy had never asked- the older male had never asked him about his own origins, after all.

"This 'ere land be lookin' familiar, mate," Foxy told the bear, watching the land mass approach. "What city be this?"

"A small port town called Myrland, Captain," Freddy answered, noticing how Foxy fidgeted.

"No plunderin' of this here port," Foxy commanded after a few moments of silence. "An' make sure the men know no' ta buy the company o' concubines. An' be sure ta check all food an' water comin' on board."

"Why?" Freddy seemed surprised- Foxy had never put so many stipulations on a trip to land.

"This city been seein' enough death," Foxy answered simply. When Freddy didn't respond, he looked over at the bear to see him giving him a strange look. "The Sickness, mate. It came 'round ten years ago to this port. I've 'eard no news o' Myrland since, so I don't know if the Sickness be gone, but I don't wan' that on me ship, got it?"

"Then perhaps we should dock elsewhere?"

"Nay," Foxy shook his head, turning back to the land. "Nay, there be survivors there- obviously, then, they have safe food." Foxy didn't admit even to himself that he was hoping to see an old friend.

That was impossible, after all.

* * *

Mike stumbled out of bed that morning and into the small kitchen, his joints burning and aching. He had worked too hard yesterday, but it was good- he had just enough money for his taxes and something to eat.

He poured himself some water to drink, knowing his milk had gone bad, and sipped at it as he walked over to his moneybox. The black-haired young man opened it to find twenty copper pieces and three bronze pieces, just enough to pay the tax and buy a small loaf of bread.

With a sigh, the young man walked to the door without changing. There was no point, he didn't have any clean clothes at the moment. He opened the door and looked out into the quiet streets.

It had been ten years since the Sickness came, and it was mostly gone by now. A few people here and there fell to it, but it was mostly a distant, horrible memory for most people in the town of Myrland.

Mike was the only one who had survived being put in quarantine. His parents, his big sister and brother, his little brother… they all died of the Sickness. Only he survived, surrounded by death and Sickness. He didn't know why. Everyone else thought it was witchcraft- you _don't_ just _survive_, after all. Everyone had been convinced he had it.

As a child, people his own age avoided him for being the strange child. Now, almost everyone avoided him for being the witch-boy. But witchcraft wasn't something you could be tried and hanged for, thankfully.

It was by pure luck he had gotten his job at the docks. It didn't pay much, less than a copper piece an hour, but it was something.

Mike stopped by the bread stand and bought a measly little loaf with what he could afford- the equivalent of four bronze plus two copper pieces. He continued on his way to the docks while eating half of the loaf- he'd save the rest for later.

As he reached the docks, though, something in the distance caught his eye. It was a large ship, unlike the merchant ships he'd seen. He couldn't make out the name of the ship, and there were no flags raised, but he could see that they had no plans to make dock at the docks themselves; instead, they were rowing on over in smaller boats.

'_Well if they're pirates, at least they aren't attacking,' _Mike thought to himself, walking over to his boss to await orders.

"Mike, help the men on them there boats when they reach here," his boss said with barely a glance at the town's "witch-boy". "Ask 'em what it is they're needin'."

"Right, Mr. Canthorn." Mike nodded and went to the doc ties to wait.

As he watched the boats approach, he couldn't help but notice it was a crew of Animals, and what seemed to be the captain, judging by his coat, was a red vulpine Animal. But Mike quickly dismissed the possibility of it being Foxy.

When Mike got out of the hospital quarantine nearly a year later, Foxy was gone. He assumed that the Sickness got him too. There was no way that captain could be Foxy… Foxy was dead. At least that's what Mike thought.

When the boats reached the dock, Mike tossed them some rope and began securing the boats to the dock while some men on the boats secured the boats to the rope.

The fox, who unknown to Mike actually was, in fact, Foxy, climbed out onto the dock, followed by a bear Animal, grinning a bit. "Thank ye much, laddie," Foxy said to the young man's back and started to turn away to walk into the town.

"Not a problem," Mike answered, standing up and turning to face the captain. Foxy suddenly froze, looking back at the man and his icy blue eyes.

In all of his life he had only met three people with eyes like that- one he thought was dead, the other was his first mate, and the last he had run his blade through after they attempted to kill Freddy.

Mike furrowed his brow, noticing how the sailor was looking at him, almost as though he was seeing a ghost or a miracle… Mike wasn't sure which. "Is something wrong?" he asked the vulpine.

"Nay, laddie, nothin' be wrong," Foxy said, shaking his head. "Just…. Lad, what's your name?"

"Mike Schmidt," Mike answered the captain. "I'm an employee of Mr. Canthorn over there."

"Y… You're alive?"

Mike noticed the sailor's accent had slipped, and that voice sounded very familiar, but it couldn't be. It just couldn't be. "Yeah…"

"Captain Foxy," the bear called from the end of the dock, "are you coming?"

'_No way. It can't be. Foxy died.'_

'_How is Mikey standing here? He died, there's no way he could have survived!'_

The two stared at each other, wide eyed, for a few moments before Mike cleared his throat. "I believe your crew is waiting for you, um, Captain Foxy."

What else could he have said?

Foxy didn't know what to do, so he nodded numbly and turned to go to Freddy. "Aye, I be comin', Freddy."

Had he known Mike would survive he never would have left… but there was no way the boy could have survived.

No one survived the Sickness.

'_Aye, but did the lad ever actually have it?'_

* * *

Around noon, Mike went on home for his break to gulp down some water and more bread. He had to be back at the docks around 1:30 PM, an hour and a half.

As he walked on home, he saw Foxy and the crewman Freddy standing in front of Foxy's old house. The house had been empty for about eight years now- Foxy's parents had left after Foxy's sister died of Sickness.

He returned his gaze to the ground and walked on by, unsure if he should approach the captain. So much had happened- so much separated them now.

Apparently, though, Foxy felt no reservation on this part. He saw Mike from the corner of his eye and quickly turned. "Mikey!"

Freddy looked at Foxy, confused, while Mike nearly jumped out of his skin, turning wide-eyed to face the captain. Foxy hurried over to him.

"Mikey, where are my parents and Vixy?" he asked the human, brows furrowing.

"Oh, um… Vixy died about eight years ago from the Sickness and your parents left…" Mike answered a bit nervously. He didn't know how to speak to Foxy anymore. He spent the last nine years of his life thinking he was dead, for crying out loud!

"Oh…" was all Foxy could say. Sure he felt upset his sister had died, but he was never all that close to his sister- all she had really cared about was finding an outstanding, good vulpine to marry and she absolutely hated the humans of the town.

Mike bit his lip, he had a thousand questions he wanted answered. But this wasn't the place to ask.

"Does someone mind telling me what the hay is goin' on?" Freddy asked, crossing his arms.

"Oh!" Foxy laughed a bit. "Freddy, this be me ol' friend Mikey from when I lived in this here town. Mikey, this be me first mate Freddy."

"You used to live here?" Freddy asked before saying a "Hello" to Mike.

"Aye! How else did ye think I knew 'bout ten years ago when I first started sailing?" Foxy turned to Mike. "Mikey… last I knew ye were in quarantine, how are you…"

"Alive? I don't know…" Mike averted his eyes, looking a bit sheepish. "Most people blame witchcraft but I don't know."

"Witchcraft?" Foxy scoffed. "Yer not a witch."

"Well _I_ know that," Mike huffed. "I need to get home for lunch, I only have about an hour."

"Mikey, wait!" Foxy called as the human turned to leave. Mike looked over his shoulder at Foxy with a raised brow. "Um… I… I'm sorry I left. I thought you…"

"I know. It's okay." Then he walked away.

"Foxy?" Freddy sounded a bit concerned, looking at Foxy as Foxy watched the human's back. There was an almost stony, determined look on the vulpine's face. "What are ya gonna do, Foxy?"

"I thought he was dead, Freddy. All these years I thought my little Mikey was dead. I won't lose him again." With that, he turned around and began walking towards the docks again. Freddy watched his friend, concerned. What was he about to do?


	3. Chapter 2

_A/N: This actually got a whole lot more attention than I thought it would… wow._

_Hopefully this will live up to everyone's expectations!_

_Now, **I'm sorry for the wait on this chapter**, I was working on homework the last few days and then I was doing some work on my book (yes, I'm writing a book, but I doubt it'll ever be published so no need to worry about that). If you're wondering, I'm a college student who is stupidly ugh at math and sucks writing essays… yea… But I do try to work on this whenever I can!_

* * *

It was late afternoon when Mike saw Foxy again. Or more like when Foxy found him.

"Mikey!" he heard Foxy call and looked over his shoulder to see the vulpine running towards him. "'Ey Mikey!"

Mike stopped and waited for the quick fox to catch up- no use in trying to outrun him after all. "What is it, Foxy?"

The vulpine slowed to a stop next to Mike. "I want ta catch up… I've been gone a long time," he said to the human.

"I'm not a kid anymore, Foxy," Mike told the vulpine, continuing his walk back to his house. "I won't believe everything you say just because you're the one saying it."

"Aye, I know that Mikey, but now me tales are not just tales. Besides, it weren't just them tales of pirates and adventures we used to talk about. I'm sure ye've got questions for me."

That caused the human to pause. Yes, he _did_ have questions for the vulpine, but he still felt unsure about everything. How could Foxy expect to just waltz back into his life after disappearing without a trace? Sure, Mike knew Foxy thought he was dead, and Mike thought the same about him…

'_I should be glad he's even alive,'_ Mike thought to himself, sighing and running a hand through his already messy hair. "I can't say you're wrong."

"Then just talk to me and everything will be back to normal."

"Normal?" Mike looked at Foxy incredulously. "No, ten years ago isn't normal anymore, _Captain._ Ten years ago is the past. Normal for me is waking up in the morning and heading to the docks to work until Mr. Canthorn says I can go. Stories about good pirates, friends, family- those aren't "normal" anymore."

"Aye, I suppose yer right. But we can at least catch up, aye?" Foxy questioned, ears flattening. No, he wouldn't lose Mikey again. It occurred to him that maybe, just maybe, he was being a bit obsessive- it had been ten years, and Mikey _was_ eighteen by now. He had probably moved on, but foxy didn't give up. He wanted his little matey back.

"Well… I guess it won't hurt," Mike agreed slowly. To be honest, he didn't want to lose Foxy either. But he was afraid. The last time he spoke to the vulpine Animal, he himself was just a little child… "But you _have_ to understand, I'm not that kid anymore," he said.

Foxy nodded in understanding. "O'course yer not, I know that!" he declared. Mike doubted Foxy would ever see him as more than that eight year old kid, but…

"Fine. Come on, I live this way," he sighed, gesturing for the Animal to follow. He headed back towards his little shack of a house.

As they entered, Foxy glanced around, raising a brow. "Aye, laddie, this be where ye make port?"

"Um… what?"

"This be where ye live, laddie."

"Oh… yea, it is," Mike nodded. "I'd offer you something to eat but I only have half a small loaf of bread for my dinner."

"Half a loaf?" Foxy seemed genuinely surprised. Half a loaf wasn't enough to keep up your strength! "We don't even eat that li'l on me ship," he declared, sounding almost _offended._

"And what ship is that? Everyone knows how food is severely rationed on ships," Mike snarked, sitting down in a seat.

"Ah, Mikey, I be the cap'n o' the finest ship on the seven seas- wit' the best cook on the seven seas as well," Foxy told him. "No half a loaf o' bread on _The Crimson Vixen_, nay."

Mike suddenly straightened up, eyes widening. "You're captain of _The Crimson Vixen_?!" he yelped. Some part of him just knew that Foxy would have become a pirate, but… the most famous- the most _notorious _ship on the seas? "Why didn't you mention that earlier?!"

"Ye didn't know?" Foxy asked, his brow raising in surprise. "Most people wherever I go can recognize me. Posters plastered all 'round the town, ye know."

"Um… n-not here…" Mike slumped over and ran a hand through his hair. "We heard tales of _The Crimson Vixen_ but you never attacked anywhere near these parts so…"

Foxy watched Mike for a few moments, then he said, "Aye, lad, I never planned comin' back… but we were just off shore and… I wanted ta see who all survived. I wasn't gonna plunder and kill, ye know. Not this town."

"That's good to know," Mike grumbled, straightening up again. "How long are you and your crew staying in town?"

"We should be gone before the sun's gone an hour," Foxy answered, playing with some of his fur. "The crew be loadin' up the ship now."

"That's not a very long break," Mike noted, raising a brow.

"Aye, laddie, the sea be in our blood," the vulpine noted, looking at Mike's icy eyes. "Plus we never stay long in any place that recently been havin' the Sickness."

"Ah…" The young man nodded in understanding. "Well you-"

Just then, a loud banging sounded at the door. "Schmidt! Time to pay up!"

Mike winced. "Ah, that would be the tax collector," he commented, standing up and going over to the door. He answered it. "Good evening," he greeted the tax collector, a tall thin wire-frame man with a mop of messy brown hair.

The tax collector pushed past Mike and turned to face him. "I'm here for your property tax."

"Of course," Mike grumbled, shuffling over to his money box and taking what was left out of it. He made his way back to the tax collector and handed it over. The tax collector quickly counted them up then smirked, looking at Mike. After a few seconds of silence, Mike asked, "What?"

"Your taxes were raised," the collector stated gleefully. "By an entire silver."

"What?" Mike squeaked, eyes widening. "But I don't have another silver! I don't even have another copper piece!"

Foxy scowled as the tax collector's grin widened. "Shall I call the constable, for refusing to pay your taxes?" the tax collector cackled, either unaware or uncaring that Mike had a guest.

"I'm not refusing, Mr. Geld!" Mike protested. "I just don't _have_ another silver piece!"

Mr. Geld shook his head and reached out to grab onto Mike's arm. "Sorry, Mr. Schmidt, but not paying your taxes is against the law!"

The vulpine strode over and grabbed Mr. Geld's wrist, pulling something out of his coat pocket. "'ere's ye bloody piece o' silver, ye lily-livered landlubber," he snarled, shoving a silver piece into the man's hand. "Lay a hand on me mate 'ere and ye'll never get another'n again." He shoved the man roughly towards the door.

The tall human was startled, but huffed indignantly. "Whatever," he sneered, walking out the door.

A silence fell between Mike and Foxy as they listened to the gravel crunching under the man's feet as he left. Then Foxy scoffed. "If'n I were ta plunder this here port he'd be the first ta die."

Mike winced a bit, then turned to Foxy. "Hey, uh… thanks for that…" he mumbled, feeling embarrassed that Foxy had to basically save him. Foxy looked at him.

"Not a problem, matey. But…" Foxy trailed off, watching his young friend. Mike raised his gaze to meet Foxy's.

The human man did not like what he saw.

Foxy looked _mad._ He looked livid, even… protective. Possessive. And for the first time ever, Mike felt afraid of Foxy.

Foxy actually looked like a pirate.

"I won't let that be happenin' again."

* * *

Freddy looked up from the barrel he was securing as he heard a commotion. He blinked as he caught sight of his captain and best friend walking down the dock with the young man from earlier thrown over his left shoulder like a sack of potatoes. People around were staring and whispering as the vulpine jumped into the small boat with the unconscious human.

"Foxy, the hell did ya do to the lad?" Freddy demanded, watching as Foxy sat Mike on the floor of the boat and sat down.

"Simple, I made transportin' him ta the ship easier," the vulpine answered. "We be leavin' now."

"So wait, we're bringin' this human with us?" Freddy was confused. None of the crew of _The Crimson Vixen_ was Human. They were all Animals.

"Aye. I told ye, Freddy, I ain't losin' him again," Foxy declared, signaling to the twin timber wolf crew members to begin rowing. "And I won't be lettin' these folks hurt him in any way."

Freddy bit his lip and looked worriedly at Mike. He was worried, but… if the captain liked this Human, surely the rest of the crew would too.

Right?

* * *

_A/N 2: Whoever can guess where Mr. Geld's name comes from gets a virtual batch of cookies!_


	4. Chapter 3

_A/N: Whoo I'm on a roll! Early chapter because it's more of a filler introductory (to the crew) chapter and the last chapter took forever...  
_

_**Guest**__, that was just a huuuge coincidence but I love it so much you're getting a virtual batch of cookies anyway! The word "Geld" is actually German for money, which I know because I am currently learning German as a foreign language. That's where I got Mr. Geld's name._

_Also warning, there will be OCs in the crew but none of the crew OCs will be super majorly important- they'll just act as teachers for Mike, to be honest. They're only there because I need more than 6 characters to crew the ship…_

* * *

When Mike came to later, he stared at the ceiling of the room. It was evident by the beautifully polished wood that he was not in his dingy shack in Myrland. For some reason, he felt a throbbing pain on the back of his head…

After a few moments, it hit Mike what happened and he shot up, looking around. He was in a large cabin, he noticed, a bit sectioned off from the rest of the room on a bed. It wasn't an amazingly soft bed but it was better than his own bed back home.

From where he sat on the bed, he could see a circular table with maps and a few tools- perhaps a compass and a spyglass- and a dagger, sticking straight up out of the wood. There was a cabinet with bottles of some kind of drink in it, and off to the side a large wardrobe with, he assumed, clothes.

It… wasn't quite what Mike expected from a pirate cabin. It was obviously the captain's cabin.

The human slid off the bed and almost immediately lost his balance. The floor beneath his feet was swaying to and fro. It occurred to Mike that he had never been on a ship before, even the docks he worked on were stationary.

"I see ye be awake, laddie."

Mike jumped and turned his attention to the door not far from the round table. Foxy stood there, wearing a fancy black and gold coat and tri-point captain's hat, with a cutlass strapped to his side. He even sported an eye patch over his right eye, even though Mike knew he still had his eye, and his right hand seemed to be replaced with a hook. He looked every bit the pirate that he was.

The young man stared a few moments at Foxy, then said, "What the hell, Foxy? You kidnapped me! You knocked me out!"

"Aye, I did, and nay, I did not," Foxy replied with a smug little grin. "Ye knocked yeself out."

"I- huh?" Mike blinked, confused. "What do you mean I knocked myself out?!"

"Ye started freakin' out after I said it weren't gonna happen again, and ye slipped and knocked yer head against a table. I simply took that moment ta get you ta _The Crimson Vixen_. Much easier when ye ain't strugglin', aye," Foxy explained, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame. "Also, ye best be callin' me Cap'n while aboard me ship."

"Captain… oh right…" Mike trailed, remembering where he was again.

"Welcome aboard _The Crimson Vixen_, laddie. Now that ye be awake, ye can meet me crew!" Foxy stated delightedly, straightening up and gesturing for him to follow. Mike hesitated only a moment before going over to Foxy.

After all, he was stuck aboard Foxy's ship with a bunch of strangers, might as well get on everyone's good side.

So Mike, the only human aboard the ship, followed the vulpine Animal out of the cabin onto deck under the bright moonlight, where at least fifteen Animals stood- and that wasn't counting the Animals Mike could see climbing the masts to set the sails or the ones that might be guarding the ship's brig and whoever might have been down there.

"Aye, we have many a man here," Foxy commented lazily, "not fer the mannin' o' the ship but fer fightin' the merchants and navies passin' by." The captain lifted his hooked hand and waved it a bit, and some of the fifteen scattered, leaving only seven on deck. "Now ye already be knowin' Freddy here, he be my first mate- that means he be the quartermaster on this ship."

"Hello, Michael," Freddy greeted the man, and Mike briefly wondered how the bear had learned his full name.

"This here be Chica, she be our cook. The best on the seven seas!" Chica was a yellow female chicken, much to Mike's confusion- she looked a bit like a duck, to be honest…

"Hey," she greeted a bit stiffly, her feathered arms crossed. "You're human."

"And you're a girl," Mike noted the obvious. "Your point?"

"Movin' on," Foxy was quick to intervene before the yellow chicken could get mad, "this be Bonnie, he be our crew doctor and, when no one needs him, Chica's assistant." Mike looked at a male rabbit. He had, strangely enough, purple fur and long ears. For some reason he wore a bowtie, despite his clothes being worse for wear.

"Hi…" the timid-sounding rabbit, Bonnie, greeted the shorter human.

"And this here… er… Freddy's, where's yer brother?" Foxy demanded, pausing before moving over to the remaining four.

"I believe he's in the crow's nest, Captain," Freddy answered, looking up in that direction. Foxy and Mike both looked up as well, and just barely at the top of what Mike figured to be the lookout area, he spotted something… gold?

"Golden, get yer furry tail down here!" Foxy called, lifting his left hand to get this… Golden's attention. After a few moments, the other began descending quickly, and once it reached the ground, hurried over to the group.

"Yes, Captain?" the golden bear asked, glancing around.

Foxy rolled his eyes at his lookout and looked at Mike. "Mikey, this be Freddy's brother Friedrich, but we all call him Golden for his fur. Golden, this be Mike."

"Ah, hello!" Golden smiled amiably at Mike, reaching forward and grasping the human's hand to shake with his large furry paws.

"Golden is our lookout," Foxy went on, eying Golden's hands as he released Mike's. "This here be Wulfric," he introduced the next crew member, a tawny grey and black wolf. "He be the weapon's master. He makes weapons, fixes broken weapons, sharpens swords, and he can load a canon in less'n ten minutes. He also be me second mate."

The wolf grunted a greeting.

"Oh, and he don't talk much," Foxy added, turning his attention to the next man. Actually, woman. It was a female cheetah, actually about the same height as Mike. "This be Chyna. She be tough as nails and can outfight all o' the men on board, 'cept myself and Freddy," Foxy warned Mike. "She be the boatswain and third mate."

"Hello," the cheetah greeted, sounding a bit bored to meet Mike.

"Here be Donny," Foxy moved on, gesturing to a tall male dingo with reddish-orange fur. "He be our master carpenter, fixes the masts and sails when they get damaged. He's not much of a fighter but he be a damn good carpenter."

The dingo nodded to Mike with a small smile. "Hey."

"And last but definitely not least," Foxy grinned, approaching a young otter, "is Odie. He be our sailing master- that be our navigator, lad."

The otter glanced at the captain. "Hello, Mike," he greeted the human, his voice kind but a bit uneasy. Mike had a feeling he wasn't there by choice.

"And that be the most important people on me ship," Foxy said, looking around. "We got gunners and sail makers, even a cooper and a few musicians fer morale reasons. Oh," he caught sight of a young kangaroo boy running across deck. "We also got powder monkeys."

"And, um… where do I fit in all of this?" Mike asked slowly, looking at the officers and group leaders.

"Ah, Mikey, ye got ta start at the bottom, lad," Foxy told him. "Ye'll be startin' as the cabin boy."

"And, um, what does that mean?"

"It means," Golden cut in before Foxy could respond, "You'll do what you're told by all the pirate officers, assist in any way you can, and learn _all_ parts of the maritime trade."

"Maritime trade?"

"Sailing, lad," Foxy elaborated. "Sailing. Ye'll be learnin' how ta be a pirate from the best pirate crew on the seas."

"A pirate?"

"Yes, a pirate," Chica sighed with a roll of her eyes. "Are you sure about him, Captain, he seems a bit slow."

Foxy laughed at this. "He just be in a bit o' shock, lass, give him some time ta 'djust."

Mike looked at the crew members he'd been introduced to- the pirate crew members. He couldn't help but find it a little humorous- _these_ were the best of the best, the most notorious and well known pirates in existence… Yet all of their names, save for the bears'…

Foxy the Fox, Chica the Chicken, Bonnie the Bunnie, Wulfric the Wolf, Chyna the Cheetah, Donny the Dingo, Odie the Otter… How did anyone take these Animals seriously, Mike had to wonder.

"Does this make me Michael of Myrland?"

* * *

"Now Mikey," Foxy began as they walked on the deck of the ship, heading towards the bow, "it be best if you forget your life ashore, ye'll never return to it."

"That's comforting."

"I be sure! No more _Mr. Geld _or _Witch Boy_, Mikey. Maybe one day ye'll even rise through the ranks ta be me quartermaster." Foxy gave a jovial smile to Mike. "Nothin' will hurt ye while ye be wit' me."

"Sorry, _Captain_, but I find that hard to believe… you see, we are on a pirate ship," Mike deadpanned. "And not just any pirate ship, _The Crimson Vixen_, the most notorious ship on the seven seas."

"Aye but I'll keep ye safe, laddie," Foxy assured him, setting his remaining hand on Mike's shoulder.

"Why are you wearing an eye patch and hook?" Mike suddenly asked, reminded by the hand on his shoulder. "I mean, you still have both eyes, and you had a hand earlier…"

"The patch just be fer quick night vision," Foxy answered. "The hand I wore earlier in the eve was a fake."

"A fake?" Mike blinked and looked at Foxy, confused. "But you moved it like a real hand, and-"

"Laddie, there be many things yer governing folks never told ye," Foxy sighed, shushing Mike. "There be cities, ye know, cities with scientists who be rediscoverin' the glory of ye humans' past. But ye know, that be against the laws set by yer government. One port city on an island far in the middle o' the ocean, formed by the volcanoes under the seas, has those scientists. Very friendly pirate city, it be, and there a scientist- a human, like ye, but a traitor in the end- made me that hand I wore earlier this eve."

"So… you're saying… there are people out there… making technology lost to us in the war?" Mike asked slowly, and Foxy nodded.

"Aye, lad." He grinned a bit, turning to Mike. "We actually be headin' there now. It'll be a few months, the island be way away from the continents."

Foxy's ears perked suddenly and he turned around, looking towards the young otter he had introduced as the sailing master. "Aye, Odie?"

Odie seemed a bit surprised to have been acknowledged without making his presence know. He glanced at Mike briefly, and Mike noticed that the otter didn't really look much older than he himself. "I was wondering if we were going to discuss our destination…"

"Tralago Island, Odie lad. Southwest to Tralago Island."


	5. Chapter 4

_A/N: Alright, back to _All For All.

* * *

"So… Tralago Island… that's a funny name," Mike observed once Odie scurried off to do navigation stuff.

"Tralogons be thinkin' the same o' them places like Savannah 'nd Myrland," Foxy responded with a smirk, turning back to face the oceans. "Jus' ye wait, Mikey, ye'll love the Tralago Islands."

Mike highly doubted this, but chose not to say anything. He simply gave a shaky unsure smile. "If you say so," he mumbled. "I'm tired."

"Aye, I bet ye are. Ye'll be bunkin' wit' the crew, laddie," Foxy grinned. "Tomorrow ye'll be learnin' wit' Chica. After ye be done wit' her, ye'll move up to Donny, Wulfric, then Chyna, an' then ye'll go learn wit' Bonnie. Then ye go wit' Goldie, 'nd ye'll end wit' Freddy."

"What about Odie?" the human asked curiously.

"Odie be the navigator, if ye want ta learn navigation do it on yer own time," Foxy told him. "One o' the lads will show ye to yer hammock."

"Um, thanks… captain…" Mike trailed off before walking off to find someone to show him where he'd be sleeping.

Foxy stood alone at the bow of the ship while the human walked away. Something didn't feel right to Foxy, but he let it be.

"You're treatin' him like he's a legit newcomer," a southern lilted voice spoke up from behind the vulpine captain. Foxy looked over his shoulder at Freddy, who slipped out of his spot in a shadow to join his best friend at the rail.

"Well he is," Foxy stated, looking back at the water. Freddy shook his head.

"No he's not, Foxy. He doesn't wanna be here- you made him come. Even Odie wants to be here more'n Mr. Schmidt," Freddy sighed. Foxy scowled, his ears flattening. He could tell Freddy was extremely disappointed in him.

"What was I s'posed to do, Freddy?" he demanded, looking at the bear. "Let him be arrested fer somethin' that wasn't even his fault? Let him starve ta death 'cause he can't afford more'n a measly loaf o' bread each day? Or maybe I was s'posed ta leave him in a place where he was known as the _witch boy_? Or did ye-"

"I never said anythin' like that, Foxy," Freddy interrupted, his voice dropping a bit in tone to show his displeasure. Foxy fell silent; sometimes Freddy could be very scary. "You should'a asked him if he even wanted to come with ya. He might'a said yes, and he wouldn't be lookin' at ya like you're a kidnapper."

Foxy huffed and turned back to the ocean, tail flicking in irritation. "I tol' ye once, Freddy. I won't lose him again."

Freddy looked silently at his best friend, icy blue eyes narrowed slightly. "Then tell me why ya put him in harm's way like this."

* * *

"Thanks for helping me, Donny," Mike thanked the dingo, who smiled a bit nervously at him.

"You're welcome, Mike," he said. "You know, I've never spoken to a human before."

"You haven't?" Mike blinked in surprise. "We're everywhere, though."

"Not where I'm from," the dingo said, shaking his head. "No humans live in the city I'm from."

"But what about at Tralago or any other place you guys dock at?" Mike asked, furrowing his brow.

"I usually don't go on land," the young canine Animal admitted. "And I joined the crew at the stop before Myrland…"

"Oh…" Mike nodded in understanding. "Well it's nice to talk to you, Donny. Is Donny short for anything?"

"No, Donny's my real name," Donny confirmed, fidgeting a bit. "Um, goodnight, Mike." The dingo quickly walked away to do whatever he needed to do, leaving Mike alone in front of his hammock.

"G'night," Mike called, though Donny was already out of sight. "Huh… fidgety one, he is," Mike mumbled, pulling his shoes off and crawling into his hammock. Sadly it was more comfortable than his bed back in Myrland…

He sighed. It seemed like none of the crew members, save for Foxy, were really interested in him.

Oh well. He was sure he could convince his old friend to let him return to land after some time...

**The Next Day**

Mike was woken up by the feeling of falling out of his hammock. With a muffled groan, he sat up and looked around. It was pitch black down there, and he could just make out the outlines of the crew sleeping in their hammocks.

"Good, you're awake," a voice hissed behind him in its attempt to keep quiet. "Come on."

He looked behind him and just barely saw the glaring purple eyes of the slightly-overweight yellow chicken. She did not look happy.

It took him a few moments to remember why she was there- he was helping her in the galley today. Quickly he scrambled to his feet and pulled his boots on.

'_She must be the one who pushed me out of the hammock…'_

Mike followed Chica out of the crew's quarters and towards the galley and kitchen. He looked over the dark deck and noticed a few people out, most likely night guards. Then he noticed the moonlight reflecting off the water's surface.

It was beautiful, a soft silver light reflecting off of the pure black surface of the ocean water…

Unfortunately, Mike was so distracted that when he stepped on the galley steps, his foot slipped and he went tumbling down with a yelp.

Chica heard the yelp and stepped to the side as the young man tumbled down past her, landing in a heap at the ground. She did not look impressed.

Mike groaned in pain and sat up. _'Lucky I didn't break my neck,'_ he mentally told himself, rubbing his left shoulder. The chicken stepped in front of him and crossed her arms.

"Idiot."

"Chica?" a soft voice called from the kitchen, getting the chicken and human's attention. The rabbit doctor had appeared at the doorway, brow furrowed and looking worried. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine, Bonnie, this guy was just being an idiot," she told the wiry bunny Animal, walking over towards the kitchen.

Bonnie stepped aside to allow the female inside, then went to help Mike to his feet. "I can check to make sure you didn't twist anything," Bonnie offered Mike, and Mike decided he liked the soft-spoken doctor.

"Thanks, but I think I'm fine," Mike assured the bunny. "Just a bit sore is all."

"If you're sure," Bonnie quickly conceded with a slight nod. "Let's go help Chica."

Mike followed the Animal into the kitchen, where Chica was already gathering her cooking supplies. "Um- exactly what are we supposed to do?" Mike mumbled.

"Just do whatever I tell ya to," Chica responded immediately. Bonnie nodded in agreement before saying something to Chica that Mike couldn't understand. It sounded like Spanish, but Mike wasn't sure. He had never heard anything but English before.

Whatever Bonnie said, Chica rolled her eyes and responded in the same language. Mike noticed she didn't have her usual snappy tone.

Bonnie shrugged with a sheepish smile. "Sorry," he apologized, going over to the pot. "The water's boiling by the way."

"I see that, Bonnie. Schmidt, get over here and chop these carrots before I decide your ears would make a great addition to the stew."

* * *

After breakfast and all of the other crew members had been fed, Chica and her two helpers sat down to eat as well. Mike was actually surprised by just how delicious the stew was.

"I see what Foxy meant when he said only the best on his ship," Mike muttered, more to himself than Bonnie or Chica.

Bonnie blinked and looked at Mike. "You call the captain Foxy?"

"Ah… I used to… force of habit," Mike apologized immediately.

"It's interesting you used to," Chica commented almost lazily as she ate. "Only four people on this ship have permission to call him that behind closed doors."

"Well I know Freddy calls him Foxy…" Mike trailed off, confused.

"Golden, Chica, and I also call him Foxy," Bonnie informed Mike. "We were his best friends back when he was just another pirate."

"Just another pirate?" the human blinked in confusions. There was a time when Foxy had been "just another pirate"?

"Ya didn't think he started directly as a captain, did ya?" Chica scoffed. "No no, ten years ago, he joined Captain Clawfoot's crew. Clawfoot was a good captain, kind of funny considering he was a fluffy cat. Declawed, even, from a city where Animals were worth as much as regular animals."

"He could rival even Foxy in how good a captain he was," Bonnie said, smiling sadly. "Chica and I joined him at the same time, so we could be free from our binds."

"Binds?"

"We were pretty much slaves in a big fancy human's house," Chica huffed. "We served the same man. I cooked and Bonnie was kind of a personal doctor- trained by humans, but got paid nothing."

"You mean… there are actually places Animals aren't humans' equals?" Mike was baffled by this thought. As long as he could remember, he attended school and lived in neighborhoods and went to the same hospitals as Animals. One year he'd even had an Animal doctor, and her rates were just as high as the humans'!

"Of course," Chica grumbled, setting her spoon down in her soup. "Just like in some places, women are worth less than men or vice versa, and in some places pirates are hailed as heroes and the navy is viewed as the enemy. Everywhere is different."

"Back to the point," Bonnie softly cut in, steering the conversation back to Clawfoot and Foxy, "Chica and I were members of Clawfoot's crew when Foxy walked right up to him and asked to join his crew, less than a month later. Of course, Clawfoot, as great a man he was, wasn't about to let just anyone on board his ship…"

"Foxy had to prove his worth," Chica continued for Bonnie. "Just like I had to impress Clawfoot with my cooking and Bonnie with his doctoring, Foxy had to prove his worth, and he did. He almost defeated Clawfoot in a sword fight. Clawfoot was impressed, and made Foxy the weapons master. Freddy and Golden came about half a year later, but we don't really know their story. They never chose to share it."

"But the five of us became really close," Bonnie cut in again. "We were all well-liked by the rest of the crew, yes, but we five were the youngest in the crew. You already know Foxy was seventeen when he joined. Chica was sixteen and I was eighteen… Freddy and Golden were nineteen."

"Freddy and Golden are twins?"

"Yea," Chica confirmed with a nod. "Fraternal, obviously. What little they told us, Freddy looks more like their father and Golden looks more like their mother. They haven't said much more than that."

"Alright… what happened to Clawfoot?"

Chica and Bonnie exchanged a glance. "Well-"

"-a stowaway from an enemy ship got on board, that be wha' happened," the voice of the current captain broke in, startling the three.

"Foxy," Chica greeted with a slight nod.

Foxy didn't acknowledge Chica's greeting, instead focusing on Mike. "Cap'n Clawfoot was the bes' damn cap'n this crew ever had. He was murdered in the dead o' night, he was, a dirty trick for an opposing cap'n to play 'nd a terrible way for a great cap'n ta die. Freddy 'nd I found the stowaway 'nd threw him overboard fer the sharks to have fer breakfast."

Mike gazed a bit wide-eyed at Foxy. It was clear by the look in the vulpine's amber eyes that it was a bad memory for him. "And then… you became captain?"

"Aye," Foxy confirmed. "The crew elected me cap'n o'er the firs' mate. The firs' mate was livid, he was, so he left ta form his own crew, 'nd Freddy was chosen fer firs' mate," he explained. Then he turned his attention to Chica and Bonnie, letting the somber look fall off his face. "Aye, lass, the meal was delicious as always! Mikey was a good helper, aye?"

Chica nodded slightly. "Yea, yea, he was a good helper, Foxy."

"Told ye he would be," Foxy grinned happily. "I know ye don't like humans, Chica lass, but this'd here is different."

"Yea, I noticed."

Foxy must have noticed the chicken was starting to get irritated, because he changed his attention to Bonnie. "Bonnie, lad, one o' the powder monkeys got hurt, can ye go tend ta him?"

Bonnie nodded and got up. "See you later Chica, Mike," he said quietly before heading off to the medical cabin on the ship.

"Help me clean up, boy," Chica commanded, standing up and gathering the empty bowls to take back to the kitchen.

"Alright," Mike nodded, standing up to help her. He was a bit confused- she had seemed to hate him, yet she willingly talked about her and Bonnie's story to him. Now she was back to being commanding and bossy… she seemed to flip-flop and it confused Mike quite a bit.

Mike glanced up and his icy eyes met the captain's amber ones. Foxy seemed to be debating with himself about something.

In the end, he shook his head slightly. "Once ye be done, help the lass wit' lunch. After that, come find me." Then the vulpine left.

"He doesn't treat me like I'm an old friend," Mike complained, frowning a bit.

"You have to learn something, boy," Chica began with a warning tone. "On board this ship, Foxy is the captain. Captains have enemies. He _can't_ treat you like an old friend.

"If he did, you'd be a target."


	6. Chapter 5

_A/N: I'm terribly sorry for the huge delay with this story! I've gone through hell these last few months and am recovering mentally, so my inspiration was dead. I'm getting back into it, though, so not to worry my friends!_

_Okay so after this chapter the action will really begin, this is another chapter establishing Mike's place on the ship and his current relationship with Foxy. I know diddly squat about sword fighting and all that other stuff, so Mike's lessons will be breezed over._

* * *

Mike couldn't really get what Chica said out of his mind as he went to find Foxy. On some level, he knew what she said had to be so, but he couldn't fathom _Foxy_, who used to entertain children with old tales of good pirates versus bad and always had a smile on his face, having enemies.

"Lad," Foxy greeted, and Mike noticed the more distant term. He looked at Foxy and blinked.

"Captain?" he returned unsurely, and Foxy couldn't resist a bit of a smirk.

"Good lad! Now, think fast," he laughed, tossing a sheathed sword to Mike. Mike's eyes widened and he scrambled to catch the sword. He was _very_ glad it was sheathed, since one of his hands caught it by the blade. "Ye've never 'eld a sword before, aye, lad?"

"Never _caught_ one before either," Mike grumbled, straightening up before nodding slightly, then added a, "No, captain."

"No pirate can't _not _know 'ow at use a sword, even if ye'll be below deck wit' Bonnie ye need to know 'ow at defend yeself," Foxy explained, walking over to him. "Let go o' the blade, lad, if it weren't sheathed ye'd 'ave a nasty cut."

Mike immediately did as he was told, holding the sword by the hilt. Foxy then took the sword back, much to Mike's confusion, and handed him a strange belt thing…

Foxy raised a brow as Mike just looked at it. "It be a weapon's belt, Mikey, ye fasten it and attach weapons to it. 'Nd yer sword's sheath."

"O-oh, right," Mike blushed a bit in embarrassment before nodding and fastening the belt. Foxy handed the sheathed sword back over and waited for the human to figure out how and attach it.

"Good lad. Now pull the sword out, don' worry 'bout bein' perfect, ye still got ta get holdin' it down."

-.-

By the time the lesson ended, Mike was holding the sword right but struggling with the unsheathing part. Foxy had dismissed him with a "meet me again after lunch, lad," and Mike went back to the galley for dinner. He was tired of holding the heavy sword- which Foxy had taken back for the time being- since lunch, and wondered what else he'd end up doing tomorrow.

Bonnie and Freddy looked over at Mike and gestured him over to sit with them, and he did. Better than sitting alone, plus they were pretty okay from what he'd seen.

"Hello, Mike," Bonnie greeted while Freddy nodded to him.

"Hey Bonnie, Freddy… where's Golden?" Mike asked, a bit curious.

"The nest, mos' likely," Freddy answered with a chuckle. "So I saw ya above deck with the captain."

"Translation, you saw me failing to hold a sword correctly," Mike deadpanned, much to the amusement of the two male Animals in front of him.

"Yeah, pretty much," Freddy chuckled.

"Just be glad Chica didn't see it," Bonnie said. "She'd never let you live it down."

"I don't really understand why I have to learn how to handle a sword," Mike admitted. "F- I mean, the captain pretty much said I'd be below deck with Bonnie."

"Boy, ya need to understand somethin'," Freddy started. "Every pirate on deck needs ta be able ta fight, except the medic who needs ta stay out o' harm's way. Ya need ta be able ta defend yourself should we ever be attacked 'nd someone gets below deck."

"What about those children over there?" Mike asked, glancing at a group of young Animals not even yet fifteen. "They can't know how to fight…"

"Some o' them do," Freddy countered. "But it don' matter, they're the powder monkeys. They load the cannons 'nd bring the gunpowder 'nd balls to the people workin' the cannons. They still serve a function in a fight."

"Oh…" Mike sighed and picked at his food. "I know how to shoot a gun, why can't I just use one of those?"

Bonnie and Freddy exchanged a glance. Then Bonnie said, "Why don't you tell the captain that? He'll probably still make you learn to use a sword, since guns are limited, but then he'd know you're not defenseless…"

"I guess I'll tell him tomorrow," Mike conceded with a shrug.

"Don't worry about it anymore," Bonnie told him with a smile. "Tonight is music night. Just relax."

Mike looked at Bonnie a bit incredulously. Music night? _'Now that I think about it, I do remember Foxy's stories talking about nights of fun, music, dancing, and alcohol…'_

"It'll be tons of fun."

* * *

Mike had to admit, it actually _was_ rather fun. Some crew members he didn't recognize were playing instruments- a harmonica and a trumpet was among them, he noted with amusement- that didn't actually flow well together, and after a few rums most of the crew was laughing and clapping or stomping their feet along with the (almost undetectable) rhythm, and some were even dancing, like Bonnie and Chica.

Which amused Mike even more, since he was sure Bonnie hadn't had a single drop of rum.

"Ye enjoyin' yeself, laddie?" a voice on his right asked, and Mike turned to look at the captain as he plopped down. A bottle of rum, not even half drunk, was held in his hand.

"Um, yeah," Mike admitted, looking back at the dancing medic and cook. "It's… funny, in a way."

"O' course it is," Foxy chuckled. "Seein' the usually uptight members o' the crew havin' fun."

"Especially miss Chyna the Cheetah over there," Mike grumbled, glancing over at the Cheetah who seemed to be flirting with Golden.

"Aye, she be fun when she's done had too much ta drink," Foxy agreed. "But every'ne interested in keepin' their limbs knows not ta let it go too far." Mike snorted a bit at this. He could imagine how the cheetah woman would react if she woke up beside someone.

The human turned his attention back to his two sort-of-kind-of friends across the way, dancing and having fun with one another. He noticed neither of them seemed interested in dancing with someone else.

"Hey, captain, is there something going on between those two?" Mike asked as he watched Chica and Bonnie. Foxy followed his gaze and laughed a bit.

"Aye, lad, they think they be hidin' it so well, but every'ne knows. 'Specially since they don' even drink rum! Speakin' o' not drinkin' rum, why haven't ye a bottle?"

"Oh, I've never drank before," Mike admitted. "I don't think I have much of a tolerance…"

"Laddie, no'ne on this 'ere ship'll think less o' ye jus' fer gettin' drunk ye firs' time," Foxy chuckled. Then he pushed the bottle of rum towards Mike. "Jus' 'ave a try, aye, lad? I promise no'ne'll hate ye in the morn."

Mike contemplated it for a moment before taking the offered bottle. "If I end up stumbling into the ocean, it's your fault."

* * *

Amazingly, Mike didn't end up stumbling overboard, but he _did_ wake up in a very comfy bed, not exactly remembering much past his first taste of rum. He blinked awake and started to sit up before the killer hangover headache attacked him and he groaned, falling back against the pillow.

"Aye, lad, yer tolerance be shit," the captain's voice called over from the other side of the cabin. He sounded amused, much to Mike's irritation.

"What happened?" he groaned. "I feel horrible."

"Ye look it too, Mikey," Foxy chuckled, walking over to his human friend. "Ye 'ad barely a bottle 'fore ye were stumbling' 'round tryin' ta sing a shanty wi' the lads, then ye were clingin' ta me like a leech demandin' I never leave ye again. I brough' ye 'ere since ye wouldn't let go o' me 'nd ye fell righ' asleep."

Mike couldn't help but feel embarrassed about this. "I was clinging to you, like a stupid kid?" he asked, mortified.

"Aye!" the Vulpine laughed, picking up a glass and handing it to him. "This won't 'elp yer 'angover much, that'll keep hurtin' fer a while. But don't think this be excusin' ye from practice."

"Dammit." Foxy just laughed some more, and Mike couldn't hide his own smile.

"Aye, Mikey," the captain started after calming down, "Ye'll be jus' fine 'ere." He sat down on the edge of the bed and ruffled Mike's hair a bit, looking at those blue eyes that Foxy remembered so well over the years. Despite the pain Mike was in, they shone with a certain happiness Foxy hadn't seen in years. "It's good to see you smile again. I missed that smile of yours."

Maybe it was the alcohol from last night, but Mike could feel his cheeks burning a bit. He lightly swatted Foxy's hand away, eliciting another laugh, and said, "I'm not a kid anymore, Foxy, stop messing up my hair."

Foxy grinned at Mike. "Ah, Mikey, I know ye don't be a kid, but ol' habits die hard. I jus' be glad ta have ye back again."

The captain stood up again and stretched. "Ye should get some more rest, 'fore our lesson today starts. I'll come get ye fer lunch. Sleep it off, laddie."

Mike watched the Vulpine captain leave and settled down in the bed. He was distantly aware that this was Foxy's bed, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Right then, despite the killer throbbing in his head, he was happier than he had been since his parents' death.

At least in private, Foxy was still his old friend.


	7. Chapter 6

_A/N:_ And so the action begins. I'm really bad at action so forgive me...

* * *

It had been about a week since Mike had his first taste of alcohol, and his days were filled with different chores and lessons, from sunrise to sunset. Mike leaned against the railing, watching the clouds pass by, not sure he could survive another two months of his tiring daily routine.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and glanced up to see Freddy looking at him. "Michael, what are ya doin' starin' at the sky like that?" he asked.

"Ah, you know, planning my funeral after all of this work kills me," Mike answered, waving a hand dismissively and turning towards the sea again. "Man do I wish I could just focus on one thing… like… I don't know, fighting."

"To be fair ya ain't very good at fightin'," Freddy pointed out with a chuckle.

"I'm still learning," Mike mumbled, embarrassed. "Besides, I don't get why I'm having to learn everything if I'm just gonna end up in a certain position anyway."

"Well, where you end up will depend on what ya do best, Michael," Freddy explained to him. "We all know ya ain't gonna end up under the sails master, or weapons master, or carpenter… or navigator… or-"

"I get it, I'm not very good at being a pirate," Mike interrupted with a sigh. He glanced up at the sky again, randomly thinking how nice it would be to just grow wings and fly through the sky, away from all work and worries and to a better place… It would feel amazing, he bet, feeling the wind through his silky black hair, sky reflecting in his icy blue eyes…

"Look Michael, everyone's good at somethin', ya just gotta find it first," Freddy started, bringing him back down to reality. Mike looked at him, brow raised. "Golden up there," he nodded towards the crow's nest, "came with me to Old World Europe to make a new life for ourselves, and were found by Captain Clawfoot. I found I was good at the fightin' and leadin' part, but Golden wasn't so lucky. One day though he found himself up there in the riggin', and he realized he was havin' fun. He loved it up there, and he has a sharp eye, so was quickly able to spot an approachin' enemy ship."

"I don't get it, what's this supposed to teach me?" Mike deadpanned, staring at the bear whose eyes reflected his own.

"I'm just sayin', it might not be obvious right now what you're good for, but in time you'll find it," the first mate told him, patting his shoulder.

Mike contemplated this for a few moments and opened his mouth to respond, but then Golden was suddenly next to them, grabbing Freddy's arm. "Freddy! Opposing pirate ship spotted, they've already seen us and make their way towards us!" the golden-colored bear exclaimed to his brother, chocolate eyes wide.

"What colors do they sail under?" Freddy immediately asked, straightening up. Golden looked at him with the most serious expression Mike had ever seen on his face thus far.

"Purple."

* * *

"Mikey, get yer ass below deck wit' Bonnie!" Foxy shouted, grabbing the human by the shoulder. "Ye can't be out here right now!"

The sound of a cannon firing and splintering wood served to emphasize the captain's words. Mike looked at Foxy, eyes wide, but didn't protest as the Vulpine shoved him towards Bonnie, who dragged him down stairs and into hiding.

"I can't believe it," Mike breathed, looking at Bonnie. "I had started thinking Foxy had no enemies! Who-"

"_Shhhh!_" Bonnie hissed, clamping a paw over Mike's mouth. "Hiding will do us no good if you keep shouting… It's the Captain's number one enemy, a tyrant captain who is a bit obsessed with the color purple," he explained, keeping his voice low.

Mike closed his eyes, listening to the sound of cannons and, eventually, swords clashing and guns going off. He was scared on of his newfound friends- or, worse, Foxy- wouldn't make it out of this situation alive, and he could tell Bonnie shared that same fear beside him.

Then there were footsteps, and Bonnie's ears perked. Mike opened his eyes to see a human, probably in his mid to later twenties, wide-eyed and holding a gun. He looked terribly pale with messy brown hair and scruffy facial hair, and was way too thin to be healthy. The man's own dull brown eyes met Mike's, and they just stared at each other for several seconds.

"P-please help me…!" the guy suddenly said, dropping his gun. Mike was confused.

"What do you mean…?" he started to ask, watching suspiciously as the man stumbled forwards and fell to his hands and knees.

"P-please… help…"

Just like that, the obviously frightened and fatigued man collapsed, unconscious, and Mike and Bonnie looked at one another wide-eyed.

Then Mike turned his attention to the gun on the ground. It was just _laying there_, and Mike's worry was spiking with every gunshot and shout he heard from above. Bonnie followed his gaze, then looked back at Mike.

"Don't you even dare, Mike," Bonnie whispered fearfully, reaching out to grab the human, but Mike slipped away easily and grabbed the gun. "Mike…!"

Mike took off towards the stairs, ignoring Bonnie's attempt to stop him, and ran up above deck. His eyes widened at the amount of blood he saw.

There were crew members down on each side of the fight, but Mike looked passed them, looking desperately for his old friend. His eyes briefly met Freddy's, who was locked in combat with a large, oily human missing an eye. Freddy's eyes widened slightly but he couldn't scold the young human- he was a bit busy staying alive.

Mike spotted Foxy after a few more seconds, engaged in battle with a deeply tanned man with almost-white hair and a deep purple coat. He took off in that direction, unaware that a blade crossed the spot his neck had been just seconds before.

Foxy soon had the purple-coated man cornered, blade pointing at his throat, but that wasn't what had Mike's attention. What had Mike's attention was the man in the rigging of the other ship, who, if Mike saw correctly, was aiming right at Foxy.

"Foxy!" Mike shouted, wanting to warn his old friend, but he knew Foxy couldn't hear him over the commotion. So he rose the gun towards the man in the rigging as he ran, firing the weapon a moment before tackling the fox…

A moment before a bullet crossed the spot Foxy's head had been.

The man in purple smirked as he watched his enemy stare up surprised at the human, but he was also angry. "Stupid brat," he huffed, glancing up to see his sniper was no longer in his spot. He jumped up on the side of the ship and quickly made his way back over to his ship, and his crew, noticing, was quick to follow. "I will be back, and I know just how to get what I want next time!" the purple captain shouted, sounding absolutely gleeful.

Mike watched wide-eyed as they left. He had no idea why they gave up that easily, but then he noticed the red spot soaking the man's purple jacket. _'He's wounded.' _The human watched wide-eyed as the ship sailed away, and everything was rather silent

"Mikey!" Foxy shouted, causing the human to wince. Freddy roughly grabbed Mike by his arm and hauled him up off of the captain. Foxy leaped to his feet, looking a mixture of worried and pissed off. "What were you thinking! You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"Well you _would've_ been killed if I didn't come up here!" Mike shot back, pointing towards the bullet hole not far away. "Did you not notice the guy with an aim on your head?!"

"You shouldn't have disobeyed me!" Foxy hissed, eyes narrowing at Mike, and Mike started to take a step back in surprise, but Freddy still had a tight grip on him. Foxy lowered his voice so not everyone on the ship would hear him. "Mikey, you _never_ interrupt when two pirate captains are fighting."

"You were about to die, _Captain_," Mike snarled back. "And it's not like he was even playing fair!"

"We're pirates, what's fair and not doesn't matter!" Foxy shot right back.

"If you don't care about fairness then why the hell did you kidnap me?" Mike hissed, and this actually rather surprised Foxy. "The moment you found out just how bad I had it you brought me here and took me away from everything I knew, and don't you dare tell me it's because of the past! You would've left me there again if I wasn't about to be arrested for some stupid reason _you didn't think was fair!_"

Mike realized he probably made a mistake yelling at the ship's captain in front of his crew, and then there was the fact this was his old friend Foxy, a dreaded pirate of the seas, but he was angry and upset. He had saved the Vulpine's life, and instead of thanks he gets scolded?!

Foxy growled lowly, staring at Mike, before saying to Freddy, "Take him to the crew's quarters. I have a ship full of wounded to take care of." With that, he walked past Freddy and Mike, not glancing even once at the human as he passed, instead making his way over to the ship's head medic. Mike glared as he passed, but Freddy steered him towards the stairs.

"Oh Michael, why'd ya have to go an' do that?" Freddy sighed, walking him to the crew's sleeping quarters.

"I don't get it!" Mike exclaimed, glaring up at Freddy. "I just saved his life and he's yelling at me and acting like I did something wrong!"

"Michael, Foxy's just worried 'bout ya," Freddy told him. "He wanted ya outta the fight so he knew ya wouldn't get hurt."

"But he would've _died_, Freddy!"

"I know. But he needs time. He's still worried and scared for your life, ya really gave him a scare."

Mike scowled and pulled his arm away from Freddy, heading over to his hammock. "He doesn't need to worry about me, I'm not a kid anymore."

Freddy sighed and shook his head, watching the human flop down into his hammock. "Michael, he already thought he lost ya once… I don't think he could handle losin' ya again."

"Well what about me?" Mike demanded. "I thought I lost him, too, what if I lost him again? He almost died too." Mike looked away, he hated feeling the need to cry, especially in front of someone.

The bear watched him for several seconds before he said, "Foxy will come to his senses, Michael. But I just wanna thank ya for not lettin' him die."

Mike blinked and looked towards Freddy, but the bear was already walking out of the door, leaving Mike alone in his thoughts.

* * *

"Captain, Antonio is nowhere to be found," a nervous man stuttered, staring at the purple-clad captain. The captain just smirked, playing with the knife in his hand.

"That's alright, we didn't need him anymore. I've found a new toy to acquire," he said slowly, smirk widening.

"Captain… you mean…?"

"That one single human on _Captain Foxy's_ crew," the captain snarled, slamming the knife down into the table. "I think he's the key. We will get him no matter the cost."


	8. Chapter 7

_A/N: _I really do apologize for this freakishly long wait! I lost inspiration for a bit there and became overwhelmed with school, but I'm back! I tried to make this chapter longer for y'all as an apology. I made an effort to hit 4,000 instead of my averaged 2,000, so it's like two chapters in one! And it's actually okay, since a lot of this I would _not_ have been able to stop in the middle of.

Also don't you dare get mad at the direction this is going in, I've hinted at it since the first chapter.

_S.2lazy2login, _I'll answer some of your inquiries here since you're not logged in and you brought up some good questions; Animals do eat meat, yes- not other Animals' meat, but the meat of animals that evolved/mutated in non-"intelligent" ways, much like humans don't eat humans but we do eat pigs and cows. Food chain, yo. There are Animals and animals, and though their diets don't depend completely on their species, their food preferences ARE swayed by this. I believe verbally the difference between "Animal" and "animal" is emphasis- first **letter** versus first **syllable**. Not sure. No, Animals don't eat humans and humans don't eat Animals, but they DO eat animals. Also, Antonio is my "Phone Guy." Just saying because it's not quite clear in the fic.

Aaaanyway, onto the long-awaited chapter!

* * *

It had been hectic for Bonnie after the battle, but after a few hours all of the injured people were taken care of, the dead had been carefully wrapped up and prepared for sea burials, and all he had left to deal with was the unconscious human from the attacking crew. He checked the man over for injuries- he was sure there had to be some kind of injury to cause the man to simply faint- but he found none.

The purple rabbit sighed and leaned back in his seat, shaking his head. He glanced at Chica, who had only left his side to finish preparing food for the crew. "He seems to be starved and a bit dehydrated, completely exhausted, but he has no injuries," he told her.

"You said he came in asking for help right before fainting?" Chica questioned, looking down at the curly-haired man.

"Yes."

"Weird."

"Yes…"

The door opened suddenly, causing the two to look over as Freddy and Foxy came through the door. It had been a few hours since Foxy got yelled at by Mike, and though the Vulpine still seemed mad he didn't seem to be furious anymore. "Hello, Foxy, Freddy," Bonnie greeted politely.

Foxy nodded slightly before turning his gaze to the pale human. "This be th' other crew's man?" he asked. Bonnie nodded an affirmative and Foxy scowled. "Be lookin' more like a pris'ner than a crew member."

"It's possible," Bonnie said. "He came in begging us to help him."

Before anyone else could speak, the man's brown eyes began to flutter open, staring up at the ceiling. Then he breathed in sharply and sat up. He seemed to relax upon seeing the Animals, and then he uttered the last thing Foxy expected to hear.

"Oh thank the gods_._"

"Wha' be ye name, lad?" Foxy demanded, his tone harsh, but surprisingly the other man didn't seem afraid of him.

"Antonio," he answered without question. "Thank you for not sending me back to that monster!"

"Definitely a prisoner," Chica muttered to Bonnie and Freddy, both of whom nodded in agreement.

Foxy raised a brow at the human. "Wha' was th' purple cap'n wantin' wi' some'ne 's soft as yeself?" he asked, his tone a bit incredulous. "Ye look 's weak 's li'l Mikey."

"H-he thought I was the key," Antonio stuttered suddenly, dropping back down and covering his face. Foxy's eyes narrowed slightly, ears twitching.

"Th' key?"

"Yeah. I was just, you know, happy at home in Stithdale, and, well, you know, the _Violet Death _attacked and the crew, they were destroying everything! And then, I was running through the woods to escape, and, um, well, I was being pursued by the captain, though I didn't know it was the captain at first. I remember tripping, or being tackled or something, and he was about to run his blade through me, I'm sure, but then he just _stopped_ and stared at me… I was so scared and begging for my life, and then he just _grinned_ at me! Then he hit me with the hilt of his sword and I woke up later in the, well, I guess it was the brig, but-"

"Aye, we get it lad," Foxy interrupted, trying not to let his irritation seep through. "Wha' be this 'bout a key?"

"Oh, right! Um, I remember overhearing him talking to his first mate about me, saying that I was the key they were looking for. It was a few days ago they discovered they were wrong, I don't know why they spared me- I think they were wanting to watch me starve and die of thirst but-"

"Lad! Th' point, if ye will?"

"Right, sorry, sorry. I don't remember much but I remember a name… just the one name but it's such a weird name… and… something about… Time's End…"

The pirates noticeably tensed up and they each looked at one another. Without breaking eye contact with Freddy, Foxy asked the man one other question.

"An' this name be…?"

"Scrawlbeard."

* * *

Mike was glaring down at the floor, but the anger and adrenaline had long since faded, leaving him looking more like a moping child than a fully grown man. His head jerked up a bit upon hearing footsteps on the stairs and he looked up, feeling only a bit disheartened when he saw it wasn't his childhood friend.

This was an Animal he didn't remember ever seeing, which was strange considering he'd been sleeping in the crew quarters for a week by then. He was quite large and eyed Mike distastefully before approaching. Mike felt himself automatically step back, staring wide-eyed up at the Animal he quickly realized was a lion. "Uh… h-hi?"

The lion huffed. "Whatever the Cap'n sees in you I can't tell," he growled. "Disrespectful, weak _human_."

"U-uh, is there a reason you, uh, came over to me?"

"The Cap'n wants ya," the lion sneered, turning away and walking back towards the stairs. "Hurry it up, don't want to keep him waitin'."

The human nervously ran a hand through his black hair before following. He made a mental note to keep a subtle eye on the lion- it was weird that he just came out of practically nowhere…

The lion led Mike to where he knew Bonnie would be checking over injured people. The lion gave him a hard glare before saying, "Be respectful this time, you li'l _brat_." Then he turned around and walked away. Mike bit his lip, figuring he'd probably never get the lion off his back about that, and headed inside.

It was no surprise to see Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica sitting around with Foxy. Well, Bonnie wasn't sitting, he was walking over with a bowl… What _was_ a surprise, however, was seeing the human from before also sitting, speaking with them. He seemed absolutely relieved but also a bit nervous. Mike couldn't blame the brunette; Foxy did look pretty pissed off, after all.

"Here, Antonio," Bonnie's soft voice came as he handed the human a bowl, probably full of broth. "I'm sorry you can't actually eat any solids yet, but your body wouldn't be able to handle it."

"Thanks, doc!" the man cheerfully responded. "This is much better than the, uh, water stuff they always gave me on the violet ship, it's really appreciated."

Freddy was the first to notice Mike and turned to look at him while Bonnie continued speaking with the man. "Michael," he greeted, gesturing him to come in. Mike didn't fail to notice that the bear didn't smile as he usually did.

"Hey…" Mike responded with a slight nod before heading inside to join the Animals. "Who's our, um, our guest?"

"His name's Antonio," Freddy answered. "He was jus' tellin' us some things he learned on that other ship."

Antonio turned his gaze towards Mike, grinning a bit. "Hey there, you must be Mike. So you're the one who grabbed my gun and ran out into the fray with absolutely no fighting experience?" Mike winced slightly while Foxy let out a low growl.

"Uh… when you put it like that, it sounds really…"

"Stupid? Idiotic? Yeah, those men on the other crew are brutal, I'm surprised you didn't at least get stabbed." For a moment, Antonio's face turned dead serious, his smile slipping right off. That expression seemed… unnatural on the brunette's face. "You made a mistake, Mike. Now you're in that crazy captain's sights. He knows what you are."

Mike scowled a bit, not really processing the latter part of the statement. "Hey, if I _didn't_ go out there, Fo- Captain Foxy would have been shot by a sniper!"

"That's enough," Foxy interrupted, a growl still present in his voice. Mike couldn't help but notice he dropped the accent. "We've still got a long ways until we reach Tralago Island, and if what you're saying is true, that means _any human _on the seas right now is in danger."

Mike blinked, seeming to be the only one confused. "Uhh what?"

Antonio tilted his head slightly. "You're right," he agreed. "Every human Captain Crazy sees on the ocean is in danger."

"Can someone explain what's going on?"

Foxy immediately turned to Mike, a fierce look in his eyes. "Michael Thomas Schmidt, don't you dare even _think_ about going back into another battle like that," he growled. "Especially now." The Vulpine turned his attention to Freddy next. "We need to contact the _Dreamshade._ There are three humans aboard their ship who likely have no idea what's going on."

"I still don't know what's going on," Mike pointed out, his voice a bit quieter- Foxy had _never_ called him by his full name like that. It was strange to hear him even call him _Mike_ instead of Mikey, forget _Michael_.

Foxy glanced at Mike and Freddy scowled. "Foxy, he deserves to know," the bear immediately told him, his voice dangerously low. The Vulpine scowled right back and the two seemed to have a stare-down, which Freddy eventually won.

"Fine, fine," he grumbled, turning to face Mike. "Mikey, you remember them stories I used to tell all the kids in town?" Mike nodded slightly. "Do you remember the one about Scrawlbeard? I believe it was the first ever tale I told the kids."

"Um…" Mike thought back. It was hazy, but he recognized the name. "I don't remember the story itself, no, but I know you've mentioned his name."

Ignoring the confused looks he was getting from his fellow Animals, Foxy continued speaking. "Good, I don't want you to remember those kid-friendly details and twisted stories. I'm not going to tell you the story I told back then, Mikey, I'm going to tell you the _real _story behind Captain Scrawlbeard. And the truth behind his death.

"He was one of the worst pirates to ever sail the seas. Killed and plundered indiscriminately- good pirates, bad pirates, merchants, navies, small cities, large cities, passenger ships, the whole lot. He killed without consequence and couldn't none of them law enforcement people catch him. He was finally killed by another pirate, Captain Pinto, almost two hundred years ago."

Mike blinked, confused. "Before the War?"

"Aye, before the War," Foxy nodded. "We Animals had already evolved long before the War- not sure you knew that, Mikey, with so much knowledge and information lost in the War, no one knows much of anything anymore. At least not on the mainlands…"

"I knew _that_ much," Mike huffed, crossing his arms. "The first Animal came about around, what, 2025, 2050? Something like that. What I'm confused about is why, at the height of technology, piracy was around and pirates were using swords instead of guns."

"They were Animals, Mikey, Animals were treated like regular animals back then and the governments had locked down on gun control, no way to get or steal one." Foxy waved his hand in the air dismissively. "Don't interrupt again, Mikey, or I might just decide to not tell you the story."

"Sorry."

"I said don't interrupt."

"So-"

"Mikey!"

Mike raised his hands in a mock defensive gesture and made an exaggerated sign of zipping his lips shut, rolling his eyes as he did so. Foxy nodded in satisfaction and continued with his story.

"Well, Scrawlbeard was a serval, and he died about two hundred years ago. When he died, though, he left a… message, if you will…" Foxy paused, then frowned to himself. "Actually, it was more like a warning. There's a cove called Time's End, where things from all eras of mankind has piled up… from the very beginning of Human evolution, through Animal evolution, all the way up to modern times. Nothing seems to decay, not even dead bodies." Mike couldn't suppress a shiver at that. "Captain Pinto killed Captain Scrawlbeard right outside this cove."

Foxy shared a look with Freddy, wishing he could be more amused with how he had both humans' full attention. Freddy nodded slightly to him, and Foxy's ears drooped a bit in response. He sighed and looked back at Mike.

"Many believe that Scrawlbeard went inside this cove to prevent his body from decaying. Some people believe it may have stopped him from dying, though that's been proven wrong by now. But the thing is, Scrawlbeard had this… _fascination_ with magic and stuff. Dark magic."

"But magic doesn't exist," Antonio was quick to point out- a little too quick in Mike's opinion. The brown-haired man shrunk down slightly at the look Foxy cast him. "Sorry…"

"As I was saying," Foxy continued, turning back to Mike, "He had this fascination with magic. Contrary to what people will tell you, magic _does_ exist, but you have to be born with it… you can't just acquire it. Scrawlbeard, though, learned everything he could without actually being a magic user." He paused a bit, then said, "Before Pinto left Scrawlbeard to die, Scrawlbeard told him that there would be a key, a key to returning Scrawlbeard his life. And that those who return from the dead in Time's End return twice as strong." Another pause. "Scrawlbeard hated humans with a passion, Mikey. The key to returning Scrawlbeard to life is a human "key", but no one knows how to figure out who the key is."

"'Those of which who seek me need only find the key; man of passion, purity, power- you'll know it when you see.'" Mike and the Animals immediately turned to Antonio, who smiled sheepishly when the attention turned to him. "I, uh, I found that written down one night when I was looking around Captain Crazy's cabin. He was, um, ashore at the time… I thought it was… um, catchy…"

"I don't get it, though," Mike started, turning back to Foxy, eyebrows scrunching together. "This Scrawlbeard guy… let's assume for a moment that magic _is_ real, without a doubt, and that this guy _can_ be brought back to life. What would happen then?"

Foxy and Freddy exchanged a glance. "Michael," Freddy began, looking at Mike. "Even with magic, the dead can't be brought back… not really."

"But you just said-"

"He may retain an angry spirit within a reanimated corpse," Foxy growled, "but he won't be alive. Meaning he won't be able to _die._"

"It's rumoured," Bonnie added softly, "that someone successfully brought back from the dead will be able to control other corpses."

"But you're all going off something a dying man said," Mike argued. "And some myth that's been passed down for years and years. Stories and rumours and magic, guys. You-"

"It's happened before."

Mike blinked his strange blue eyes and turned to look at Chica, confused. "What…?"

"We know it's the truth because it's happened before. Not with Scrawlbeard, obviously," Chica admitted, "but with a corpse found in Time's End. That guy's still around, somewhere. We met him once, when Clawfoot was still captain and tracked him down. He kinda went into hiding after finding out what happened to him. Couldn't stand the sight of himself. He never wanted to be revived after death, but a descendent of a close friend found _his_ key and brought him back anyway."

"You're talking like every dead person has a key to come back to life," Mike said uneasily, watching Chica carefully. The chicken glanced towards Bonnie, as though unsure of what to say next.

"It's rumored to be the polar opposites of what they are," Bonnie took over. "Everyone has a key, it's said- either their opposite or what they hated most in life, no one's sure which. Their blood must be spilt on the corpse in Time's End, or so it goes."

"We should find that lad again," Foxy mused. "I know he hates thinking about it but we really do need to know what's fact and what's fiction. And how to find the key before "Captain Crazy" does."

"Oh, that's easy," Antonio laughed. "It's Mike."

"…" They all looked at Antonio- Mike in fear, Freddy and Bonnie worried, Chica totally not believing it, and Foxy strangely blank-faced. "What do you mean?"

"Passion, power, purity. Those pretty much explain him."

There was silence for a few moments before they all started laughing, even Mike. "What? How in the _world_ did you get that?" Mike asked between laughs, and Antonio frowned at them.

"You're pretty passionate about protecting your friends, obviously," he pointed out. "You ran out in the middle of a _pirate battle_ with little to no combat training just to make sure your dear friend and captain was safe. Oh, and then you went and risked your own safety to make sure of it- how do you feel about killing that guy?"

Mike took a minute step back, no longer laughing. "How did you know about that?"

"You mentioned the sniper," Antonio replied simply. "How do you feel about it?"

Everyone's attention was on Mike- no one laughing now. Mike shuffled his feet, unsure what to say. "Uh… I guess… I feel bad about killing a person, but… it saved Foxy's life. He was trying to kill Foxy, I couldn't let him do that."

"But you still feel bad about it, just a bit even when justified." Mike hesitated a bit before he nodded slightly. "So you're pure-hearted, even if you don't let it control your actions!"

"Okay, _maybe_ that's so," Foxy interrupted, his tone seeming to be angry and _very_ worried. "But you said power, power doesn't describe Mikey at all. He had next to none even ten years ago!"

Antonio smiled. "You're thinking of power in the wrong term. Tell me, Scrawlbeard hated humans, right?"

"… Yeah."

"What about magic users?"

Foxy glanced at Freddy, as if seeking backup. "Uh… well, it was believed he envied them. A lot."

"And envy can lead to hate," Antonio stated matter-of-factly. "So he hated power in that regard- he _had _no power in that regard. Mike does."

"I think you're mistaken," Mike protested uneasily, remembering the whisperings of _witch child_ in his childhood. "I don't have magic."

"Yes you do. You know how I can tell?" Antonio grinned a bit. "Your eyes."

His eyes. The strange eyes that literally no one else in his hometown had. He shuffled a bit. "Freddy has the same eyes."

"Freddy has it too, actually, he just never tried using it and has no training." Antonio shrugged. "You have witch eyes. Unnatural shade of icy blue."

Foxy suddenly growled and slammed his hook against the table, standing up from his seat abruptly. "Ye know," he snarled, "Fer someone who claimed t' not know anythin' beyond Scrawlbeard's name, ye be knowin' a lot!"

"Hey!" Antonio raised his hands defensively, leaning away from the angry Vulpine. "I didn't know Scrawlbeard's story! I just remembered the rhyme thing and then you guys explained all this undead crap and I just put two and two together." He glanced over at Mike. "And I know the witch thing because my parents and older brother were witches, you see. The eyes give you away."

"But you said earlier magic didn't exist."

"Force of habit. When you're in a family of witches you learn from an early age to deny its existence to non-magic people. You know, don't want any old-time witch hunts."

"Well that's good to know," Mike muttered to himself.

"Enough! I'll have no more talk o' Mikey bein' some witch key!" Foxy growled, yanking his hook out of the wooden table (pointedly ignoring Bonnie's disapproving look at the hole it left). "We'll get t' th' Tralago Islands, track down th' _Dreamshade_, 'nd then find ol' Springy to get our facts straightened out, aye? _Aye?!_"

No one, not even Freddy or Mike, dared to protest Foxy's words. Instead, they all simply nodded in agreement. Even Antonio nodded, not wanting to anger the fox further.

"Good." Foxy straightened up, but the snarl still remained on his face. "If'n ye be mentionin' it again, lad," he warned, raising his hook and pointing it at the brunette, "this hook'll be doin' more'n scratchin' up a doctor's table. Understood? Good. Dismissed."

Chica stood up to help Bonnie get Antonio somewhere he could rest. Mike turned around and started to leave again, but Foxy called, "Mikey, stay here. I wan' t' talk t' ye. 'Nd Freddy."

Mike looked back at Foxy, who had taken a seat again. He gestured for Mike to sit, so the human did as he was bade.

There was silence for a few minutes before Foxy said, "Mikey, you are not to leave my sight." Mike's eyes widened and he started to stand right back up.

"What?! But-"

"Mike! This is not up for discussion," Foxy told him. Mike was about to argue more, but then he realized something.

Foxy wasn't angry. He was worried. And he was scared.

What would make Foxy, captain of _The_ _Crimson Vixen_, scared?

"Do… you think he's right then?" Mike asked softly, slowly sitting back down in his seat. "Or… telling the truth?"

The Vulpine simply stared at Mike. There was silence for several long moments before he spoke again. "Even if he's not right, Mikey, Gene Corcran is a dangerous man. He will not hesitate to kidnap, hurt, or kill you if given the chance. If not to get to me, then to simply get revenge for you ruining his plans." He paused. "And if there's even the slightest chance that that Antonio lad is correct, or Corcran even thinks it too… then you're in even more danger than any of us know how to deal with."

Mike bit his lower lip and absently rubbed his arm before looking at Freddy. Freddy looked worried as well, which only served to make _Mike_ worry more. "You two seem… very, very worried."

Freddy and Foxy exchanged yet another glance. "Michael," Freddy spoke now, turning his own blue gaze on Mike. "Listen to us. Gene Corcran has men everywhere. And when we say everywhere, we mean _everywhere. _I wouldn't be surprised if there was one of 'em on our ship right now, honestly, if Antonio isn't one himself." He glanced at Foxy, who simply looked away. "It was one of his men that killed our Captain Clawfoot."

"O-oh…" Mike nodded in understanding, now _very_ concerned. He looked at Foxy again, and the Vulpine finally looked back at him. For a moment, the blue-eyed man really wanted to ask him why he looked so… scared… but he shoved that feeling aside. "So… I've gone and made myself a target, huh?"

"I'm afraid so, Michael. I really do apologize… This was never our intention."

"I know," Mike assured, trying to smile. It came out more like a grimace. "I know, it was kind of my own fault anyway. But, you know, I, um… I don't regret saving your life, Foxy."

Freddy looked at Foxy, who nodded slightly to him. Freddy stood up and nodded a bit to Mike. "Goodnight Michael, Foxy." Then he simply walked away. After a few moments of silence, the only remaining Animal stood up and began pacing, pulling his hat off and dropping it on the table. His hands swept through the longer fur on his head, a habit Mike remembered, from all of those years ago, that Foxy had when he was freaking out about something.

Mike watched him for a minute or two before standing up as well, stepping around the table. "Foxy…?"

The amber-eyed fox turned to look at Mike and his ears flattened. "Oh, Mikey…" he spoke quietly. "I didn't mean to put you in danger like this. If I'd known all this would happen, I'd never have brought you with me. Pirate battles are one thing, but this…"

"It's alright, Foxy, really," Mike insisted, hating to see how upset the Vulpine was. "Everything'll be okay, right?"

Foxy simply stood there staring at Mike. After a few silent moments, the Vulpine suddenly stepped closer to Mike and pulled him into his arms. The human was startled, having not been expecting the pirate to hug him, but he didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around the taller Animal and return the hug. He briefly wondered what the hug even meant... did it possibly mean everything would _not_ be okay?

Was this a battle they couldn't win?

"I'm so sorry, Mikey…"


	9. Chapter 8

_A/N: _Hey look! Finally the next chapter! Are you proud of me? Well don't be, this chapter includes major time jumps because there just aren't enough events two fill up two months, and I'm sure you don't want to read about Mike mopping the deck.

So I worked for _hours_ on a timeline/outline hybrid for _All for All_ and holy crap, I have over 3,000 words in the outline/timeline alone... and the majority of it is details for scenes I have yet to write. I'm so excited to write this, like holy crap. Now if only school would get out of my way...

Anyway, I've decided that after I finish _All for All _I'm going to write other stories based in this universe, simply because I'm having tons of fun with it now that I have more than a cast of seven canon characters- not including the murderer. Because now I have the animatronics and night guards from FNaF2 and 3 to write into this universe!

That being said, I've already decided a couple pairings for the universe (as a whole) but I'm debating with myself on some. I've set up a poll about it for you guys to tell me which pairings you'd like to see most in this universe. Although I said it in the poll, I'll say it again here; _**All for All **_**focuses on Foxy/Mike with mentions of Chica/Bonnie. No other pairings will blatantly show up in this fic, though some may be hinted. **The poll is asking about the **universe **_All for All _is set in, not the story _All for All_.

Alrighty now, thanks for your time if you read this and please vote or else you guys are getting _my _choices! Haha.

* * *

Night fell upon _The Crimson Vixen_, but Mike found that he couldn't sleep. Everything that he had learned was running through wildly his mind. The fact that the dead could be brought back to life, magic existed, that _he was a witch..._

Quietly slipping out of his hammock, Mike made his way up the steps to stand on deck. He stared up at the stars, silently marveling at how peaceful the night was when the day had been the opposite. It briefly occurred to him that there hadn't been a single storm while he was there, but he dismissed it- the human really didn't want to be in the middle of the ocean during a storm, after all, so he was _not_ wishing for one.

Movement overhead caught his attention, and Mike looked up. He wasn't really surprised to see the golden bear climbing through the rigging; more often than not that was where Goldie chose to be. However, tonight the bear noticed his gaze and grinned, waving at him.

"Hey, Mike," he called, climbing down closer and dropping to the deck so he wouldn't have to shout. "What are you doing up so late?"

Mike shrugged in response before saying, "I couldn't sleep. I can't get all of this... _stuff_ off of my mind." Goldie tilted his head slightly at this, and Mike remembered that the golden bear hadn't been present for their impromptu meeting with Antonio. "Um... does the name Time's End mean anything?"

"Time's End Cove?" Mike nodded. "Well, yeah. Pretty much every pirate's heard of it," Goldie laughed a bit. "Is that where we're going? It's location isn't on a map, you know- it's super hard to find if you've never been there."

"I don't think we're going there, no," Mike assured, shaking his head. "We're still heading towards Tralago... I think Captain Foxy means to ask around about, uh, something about dreamshade?"

"_The Dreamshade,_ huh? I wonder why that is," Goldie mused, playing a bit with some rope. "It's one of our ally ships. I've never been on board or met any of their crew, but I saw the captain from afar, and I gotta say he's pretty creepy. The ship is really beautiful, though- deep blue and black painted wood with pearl white sails."

"Well, apparently they have three humans on board, that's all I know," Mike stated with a shrug. "And apparently it's not safe for any humans to be on the sea right now..."

Goldie furrowed his brow, his brown eyes clearly showing confusion. Mike was suddenly struck by the fact that Goldie had no idea his own brother was apparently a witch. "Not safe? What do you mean?"

"Well, that captain- Gene Corcran I think they said- is heading there..." Goldie's eyes widened in understanding.

"Scrawlbeard..."

"Yeah."

"Well that's not good." Goldie frowned, studying Mike. "It's always been known that Scrawlbeard's Key was human... Is Foxy freaking out that he might try and take you?"

"Well he was worried at first and now he's distraught because that other guy- Antonio's his name, by the way, the guy who begged for help during the battle earlier- is convinced I _am_ the Key..."

Goldie sighed a bit and shook his head. "Just be glad he won't leave you on Tralago."

"Hey, _he_ kidnapped _me,_ he better not try and get rid of me already," Mike huffed. "Why are you awake anyway, Goldie? I thought tonight Wulfric was keeping watch."

The golden bear waved a hand dismissively. "I'm not tired and I like it up there. You should try it one day, Mike."

"... No thanks. I think I'll try and get to sleep. It took forever to convince Foxy to even let me sleep away from him..." Mike glared as the bear in front of him started snickering. "Not funny."

"Oh, it's hilarious, Mike," Goldie countered. Then he smiled in a way that reminded Mike of Freddy, and the human remembered that Freddy and Goldie _were_ twins. "Anyway, goodnight, Mike. Try not to think too hard on it all, it'll just keep you awake."

"Thanks, you too when you get to it." Mike watched as Goldie began climbing the rigging. "Also, uh, apparently Freddy and I are both witches, goodnight!" he called, turning around and heading back down below deck.

He grinned a bit upon hearing the startled cry of "_What?!_" He didn't stop to explain, though. It was late, after all...

**-Two Weeks Later-**

Mike sat down cross-legged on deck with Freddy, the two of them fooling around with their newly discovered magic. Neither of them were any good at it; in fact, neither of them had any results to show for their efforts until just a few days before, when Freddy had successfully produced a spark from his hand.

Unfortunately, Freddy's brother had been passing and the spark had caught a patch of the bear's fur on fire. It was a whole day before Goldie would talk to Freddy again, but that didn't stop Mike from laughing every time he saw the missing patch of fur. He couldn't help but feel justified in his amusement the first time he saw Foxy laugh about it, too...

At that moment, however, both of them had small balls of light in their hands. The sun had just set, so the light shone rather brightly between them. Mike noted the fact that the light was a bright almost-white blue, but dismissed it almost thoughtlessly as he focused on making it shine brighter.

"Haha, if we get good at this we could totally light up the deck for those silly little parties without worrying about a fire," Mike said with a small grin. "Well, _mostly._"

Freddy chuckled and shook his head slightly. "I can think of a few ways it can be put to better use, Michael."

"Of course, you're more mature than I am."

"This is true."

"Mikey, lad!" Foxy's voice called, startling Mike out of his concentration. His ball of light faded and he frowned. However, he stood up, giving Freddy a quick "seeya" before hurrying over to where Foxy stood near the bow of the ship.

"Yeah?" he asked the Vulpine upon reaching him. Foxy gave him a grin and turned to look at the ocean.

"Look, laddie," the captain said, pointing his hooked hand out towards the ocean. Mike followed his gaze towards the horizon and his eyes widened when he saw it. Rising up above the horizon was an island. It wasn't very large, but it wasn't small either. From the distance, Mike couldn't see any details, but he _could_ see a few ships docked, and he could see tall hills that weren't quite mountains reaching towards the sky on what he assumed to be the far side of the island.

"Oh wow, land!" Mike sighed, sounding relieved. "I was afraid we were going to run out of food, it's taken so long!"

Foxy chuckled. "Ah, Mikey, tha' be not jus' land there... tha' be Tralago."

"Oh, that's our destination?" When the Vulpine nodded, Mike sighed in relief. "It'll be nice to stand on land. You didn't even let me get off at the last shore leave."

"Corcran's got men everywhere, lad," the captain reminded him. "I'll be worried enough jus' lettin' ye loose at Tralago."

Mike heard footsteps behind him and turned to look at the approaching pirates. It was just Bonnie, Chica, and Freddy. The human had no doubt that Goldie was up in the rigging, still on the lookout for ships.

Bonnie gave a soft smile when Mike looked at him and said, "Isn't it quite a sight?"

"That 'nd more, really," Freddy chuckled, leaning against the rail. "'Member our last trip here?"

"Oh don't remind me," Chica snickered. "Foxy got drunker than a skunk at Midfest in Cyorcopia."

Mike furrowed his brow at these unfamiliar names, but he couldn't help but smile a bit as he saw the most feared pirate captain on the seas become flustered and stuttering to defend himself. The other three Animals all broke down into laughter at the sight of the Vulpine trying to make excuses, and Mike tried to hide his own snickers.

"Well, can't be havin' none o' tha' this time 'round!" Foxy finally managed, straightening his hat. "Gotta be vigilant, maties. Watch out for Corcran 'nd ask 'round 'bout the _Dreamshade_."

They each nodded in understanding and watched quietly as the island approached, enjoying each others' company. Mike couldn't help but feel comfortable in this; it was as though he actually belonged.

Of course he knew that wasn't true, seeing as he was on a pirate ship, but it certainly felt that way.

After what seemed like forever and no time at all, _The Crimson Vixen_ reached the Island and Foxy disappeared to take over the helm, navigating the ship into port. Mike watched as pirates tossed ropes down to dock workers, who greeted the pirates with amicable waves and even some cheers. They seemed genuinely happy to the Animal pirates.

Foxy reappeared once the ship was secure, and before Mike even realized it he was walking down the gangplank, down the dock, and onto solid ground for the first time in months...

And he promptly stumbled over, much to the sailors' amusement.

His tanned cheeks flushed red in embarrassment as Foxy pulled him up to his feet, a large grin on his face. "Careful, laddie, got t' get yer land legs back!" he laughed, and the others laughed with him.

Goldie, who Mike hadn't even realized got off the ship, clapped his shoulder- which almost sent him stumbling again- with a friendly guffaw. "Man, Mike, ya sure got your sea legs real good- you forgot how ta walk on shore!"

The friends all shared a laugh, and this time Mike couldn't help the smile that worked its way to his face, and then he began to laugh as well.

Foxy pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it to the dock man, who swiftly caught the shining gold piece out of the air. "We'll only be here three days," he told the man. "Tha' should cover th' cost." The man nodded as he added the gold piece to a pouch on his hip.

"Let's get something to eat," Chica more demanded than suggested, but everyone nodded in agreement as well. "Chariot?"

"Chariot?" Mike questioned as the Animals began walking, and he stumbled as Foxy began pulling him along. The human only realized then that the Vulpine hadn't actually released him from his grip, and for some reason that made Mike's cheeks burn red again.

"It's a tavern," Goldie explained from where he walked beside the Human. "They got food, drink, and rooms. The Chariot is a really good, pirate-friendly place. Best food on the entire island, though it _is_ a step down from Chica's cooking."

"I have no doubt about that," Mike chuckled an agreement, glancing at the chicken, who pretended not to hear them but was _totally_ puffing up in pride. "Chica's cooking is the best I've had for as long as I can remember."

"Best be rememberin' tha' too, lad!" Foxy laughed, finally letting go of his hand when they reached their destination. Mike looked at the building and saw it was a simple, typical tavern; two floors, with a small porch and a sign hanging over the street simply reading _Chariot_ with a chariot symbol made solely of horizontal lines on the side. It was made of wood, although it seemed to have brick accents which rather confused Mike, but he just shrugged and followed his friends inside.

The inside was, again, typical for a tavern, with stairs to either side of the bar and tables spread out around the room. The tavern was filled mostly with men, although a group of women sat in the far back corner. There seemed to be a decent mix between Animals and Humans, which made Mike feel like he stood out less.

"Foxy! Freddy, Goldie!" Mike jumped a bit and looked up as a human woman, clearly the lady of the tavern, came over to them.

She wasn't really a thin woman, with a large bosom, thick waist, and wide hips, and her mousey brown hair was pulled up into a messy bun, but she was still rather attractive with her bright green eyes and her smile. Mike decided he liked this woman; she reminded him of his late mother.

"Chica and Bonnie too!" she laughed as she spotted the cook and the medic. "Got the whole crew here, it's great to see you lot again!"

"Hey, Merriam," Goldie greeted, and Merriam gave a large, friendly smile.

"And who's this?" she asked, looking at Mike finally.

"This here be Mike, the newest member o' th' crew," Foxy declared proudly, causing Mike's cheeks to burn in embarrassment again.

"Oh, nice to meet you, Mike!" she laughed again, leading them to a large table. "I'm sure all of you want your usual, so what will the new guy have?" she asked as she pulled a little notebook and a crude pencil from her apron.

"U-um..." Mike stuttered, unsure of how to respond.

"Just get him what I get, Merriam," Foxy told her with a wave of his hand. "Bu' ye should probably make his medium, not rare."

Merriam laughed a bit, and the others couldn't help but laugh a bit as well. Mike had a feeling he knew why.

"Alright then, captain!" she agreed amiably, noting it down. "I'll have Liesel bring it out to you when it's done!"

Then she was off.

"Who's Liesel?" Mike asked, glancing at Foxy. "One of the employees?"

"Taverns be a family business, Mikey," Foxy grinned. "Liesel is her daughter. She be a lass o' twenty about."

"Oh, okay... and, um, what is your usual here, Foxy?"

"Steak and beer, why?"

"Just making sure it's something I actually like... though I don't think I've ever had steak," he mused, glancing at the ceiling. There was a suspicious thumping coming from above. "Even when mom and dad were alive we never could really afford meat."

There was a brief awkward silence before Freddy cleared his throat and said, "Well, I hope ya enjoy it, Michael."

"We should talk about how we're going to go about finding the _Dreamshade_," Bonnie spoke up, fidgeting a bit with his bowtie.

"Just ask around for the last known location," Chica told him with a shrug. "And work from there. If we're lucky, they're close by."

"If we're not lucky, Corcran's already got them," Bonnie sighed, resting his head on his hand. "The ocean's really big, Chica."

Chica shrugged again, conceding the point to Bonnie.

Suddenly, a peppy voice cut in. "Here's your food!" Mike looked over to see a young woman setting plates and drinks down on the table. She was a very lanky girl with the same mousey-brown hair and bright green eyes of her mother. She had the same smile, too.

"Thanks, Liesel," all of the pirates chorused, and Mike mumbled a thanks afterward. Liesel gave him a smile and headed off, probably to deal with other orders, and Mike turned to his food.

The steak was large, almost as large as his plate, and he suddenly wasn't hungry. However, as everyone dug happily into their own meals, Mike picked up his fork and knife and began cutting his steak up.

When he took a bite, he felt like he'd be sick. Not because it was disgusting- it wasn't, at all- but because he was sure he'd never had any meat even remotely like it before. He continued eating it, enjoying the flavours despite being sure his stomach would be complaining later from the amount of food.

He only got halfway through it before he decided he couldn't eat anymore and then picked up his drink, taking a sip. He winced at the taste of it and set it back down.

Steak, yes. Beer, no.

Goldie laughed at the expression on the human's face, and Mike couldn't help but glare slightly at the golden-coloured twin. "Shut up."

"Aw, Mikey doesn't like the beer~" Goldie teased, causing the other pirates to laugh a bit.

"That's rich coming from you, Mr. Fine Wine," Bonnie smiled, causing the others to laugh as Goldie pouted.

Mike raised a brow. "Fine wine?"

"We have _very_ refined taste," Goldie stated matter-of-factly, Freddy nodding sagely beside him.

"You kidding?" Chica snarked. "It tastes like you're drinking watered-down piss."

Mike made a face at that comparison as Foxy burst out into raucous laughter and the bear twins immediately rushed to defend their alcoholic choice.

"Piss?! That beer stuff _literally_ tastes like piss!"

"That's Old World beer," Chica laughed, raising her own mug.

"You're from the Old World!" Goldie countered. "You're Old World Spanish!"

"_Hispanic_, thank you very much. But that's beside the point. You don't drink Old World beer!"

Mike looked at Foxy, who had finally stopped laughing and simply watched his bickering friends with a grin on his muzzle. "Does this always happen?"

"Aye," Foxy confirmed with a chuckle. "Always. I always preferred rum meself, but beer ain't bad."

"Rum tastes like crap!"

"Oh no you did not just say that, you fancy shmancy Old World prude!"

Mike leaned back as Foxy jumped right into the argument, and his eyes met Bonnie's through the commotion. Bonnie seemed amused, though he seemed to keep his distance from the argument.

"I'm more for tea myself," Bonnie told him quietly with a wink. Mike chuckled a bit and nodded in agreement. Unfortunately for the rabbit, his comment didn't go unheard.

"Tea's just leaf water," Chica scoffed, and Foxy nodded in agreement.

"Tea is good!" the twins cried in unison, and Bonnie winced as he tried to pretend he said nothing in the first place. The others, however, didn't let him off the hook so easily.

"What about coffee?" another voice chimed in, although none of the pirates looked her way. Mike looked over at Liesel, and her green eyes met his blue ones. She gave him a sweet smile, and Mike smiled kindly back.

"Sorry about this," he told her, watching as Bonnie was trying to weasel his way out of the argument.

"Oh, no worries," Liesel laughed, "they always do this. Do you want coffee?"

"I've never had coffee," Mike admitted with a sheepish smile. "What is it?"

"I'll get you a glass right away!" Liesel declared, smiling and patting Mike's shoulder before turning around and heading back to the kitchen.

It made Mike a bit uneasy, the way her hand lingered longer than was considered "friendly."

"Let's all just agree to disagree!" Freddy finally called out above the noise of the argument, and they all settled down with grumbles.

"Wine is still superior," Goldie muttered, and Freddy elbowed him in the abdomen to shut him up before he reignited the argument.

Liesel returned with a mug and a hot pot of... something dark brown. Mike scrunched his nose up at the smell of it as she poured the cup of coffee.

"We have sugar cubes if you want any," she giggled a bit, smiling. "Do you want any?"

"Um, sure," Mike nodded, knowing he did not want to drink this bitter-smelling drink. He didn't notice the way Foxy tensed up beside him, or how the fox's golden eyes bore into their server's back as she went to fetch the sugar cubes.

When Liesel returned, she dropped two sugar cubes into his coffee mug and gave him a toothy smile. Mike returned her smile, not aware that his old friend was watching every motion and expression. He stirred the coffee a bit before taking a sip. "Huh... not bad," he decided, and Liesel smiled brightly before heading off to take care of other customers.

Foxy watched Liesel walk away, feeling... something rising in his chest. It was an ugly feeling, he quickly noted, something related to, but not quite, hatred. A feeling he had never really felt.

He realized that Freddy was staring straight at him, and their eyes met. Whatever Foxy was feeling, Freddy knew what it was. There was no pity in that gaze, much to Foxy's relief, but there did seem to be an apology of some kind. Why?

Foxy didn't know, but he knew every time he caught even a glance of Liesel, the feeling only grew.

* * *

They returned to the ship, Foxy oddly silent, to find the crew had already begun supplying the ship. Freddy let out a sigh and glanced at his friends.

"We should ask around about the _Dreamshade_ now," he said, and the five nodded in agreement.

"Alright," Goldie agreed. "Should we split up?"

"Aye, I think so," Foxy agreed with a nod. "Bonnie and Chica, Freddy and Golden, me 'nd Mikey."

The friends all nodded in agreement with the set up before they broke off into their respective teams, and they all walked in different directions. Mike hurried after Foxy, who moved swiftly down the cobbled street away from the docks.

"Foxy? Are you alright?" Mike asked, his brow creasing slightly in worry. "You're acting a bit strange."

"It's nothing," Foxy snapped at him, causing the human to recoil slightly. Foxy, seeing Mike's reaction, sighed and ran a hand through his fur. "I jus' be stressed, Mikey. The Chariot was a good distraction while it lasted, but it be back to serious mode now. We can't afford to waste any more time. If the Captain of the _Dreamshade_ is not told of the danger right away, we could lose our closest ally. We can't afford that."

There was something else, but the human couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. Mike watched the Vulpine continue walking forwards before quickly hurrying to catch up. He didn't want to be alone in this strange place. He let Foxy stop people and request the desired information about the ship and captain they were looking for, staying quiet and bringing as little attention to himself as possible.

Foxy, on the other hand, could barely pay attention to the information he was getting from the Tralagons. All he could think about was that woman's hand brushing against Mike's shoulder, how she smiled wider at him, and how he so easily smiled back at her. He felt angry. He felt upset. He felt confused. He felt...

Jealous?


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N**: Eesh, I need to get my game together. I think I'm going to start writing 4 or 5 chapters in advance from now on. But hey, look- another chapter already! Are you proud of me yet?

**I'll keep the poll open up until chapter 12, y'all!**

Last minute note, someone has expressed interest in seeing the OCs of this story explored more. With the introduction of the FNaF 2 cast and Springtrap in FNaF 3, it seemed to me the need for OCs sort of died down as I could focus on more canon characters than the 8 available in FNaF 1. However, I'm interested in knowing, how many people would be interested in seeing the OCs explored and used more?

* * *

They were standing together, watching as the last of the food supplies were loaded up onto _The Crimson Vixen_, when the Vulpine captain suddenly grinned and leaned over to look at Mike. "Hey Mikey, guess what tonight is?"

Mike blinked and looked at his old friend, his mind drawing a blank. "Uh... your.. birthday?"

Foxy laughed and shook his head. "Nay, lad, it's the new year!"

"New year?"

"Aye! Tonight be the end o' 2425 and the start o' 2426!"

"Huh... I hadn't even realized it." Mike ran a hand through his hair, frowning down at the water. "We're gonna be back out at sea though, right? Looking for... The _Dreamshade_?"

"Aye, that's right. But we'll have ourselves a party, good an' right!" Foxy assured with a grin. "'Member the New Years we used to spend together, Mikey?"

"Of course," Mike replied with a ghost of a smile on his lips, remembering the times long past. "I also remember that vixen who tried convincing you to kiss her one New Years."

"That was jus' creepy an' ye promised ye'd never mention it again," Foxy whined, giving Mike an accusing look.

"I didn't know what it was all about back then," Mike countered. "I didn't know what I was promising, so your argument is void."

The two fell into a companionable silence, remembering the days of their carefree youth before the Sickness.

"Remember that really gross drink your mother would force us to drink?" Mike suddenly asked, breaking the silence. "You know, the one made of, what was it... leaf juice, mixed fruit, and, uh... milk?"

"Aye, I remember that," Foxy nodded with a shudder. "She claimed all me life it was fer healthy growth and good luck. Tha' be one tradition I will gladly toss overboard!"

Mike laughed and looked at his Vulpine friend. "And which traditions will you keep in?" he questioned, a hint of teasing and curiosity lacing his voice. Foxy put his good hand up to his chin and glanced skywards, as though he were putting great thought into it.

"Well, lemme think a moment, lad. The midnight toasting and the dancing be a definite keep!" he grinned. "No fireworks be available on me ship, firehazard."

"What about that story you always told the kids?" Mike teased with a small grin. Foxy glanced over, his amber eyes meeting Mike's blue.

Suddenly, Foxy remembered how many nights he had laid awake, thinking about his lost little matey, about how he would never see the boy standing in front of him ever again, how he had lost his best friend.

"I haven't tol' tha' story in nigh on eleven years, Mikey," Foxy told, his voice uncharacteristically soft and averting his gaze towards his ship. They fell into silence again, but this time it wasn't as comfortable.

Several moments of silence passed before Mike spoke up again. "I think it was a brilliant story," the human finally said, glancing at his older friend. "One of my favourites. Maybe you could dig it back out of its grave?"

Foxy kept his gaze on his ship, tail flicking. "Aye, perhaps it be time to bring tha' ol' tale back," he agreed with a small grin. "Now let's see when abouts we can be leavin' this 'ere port."

Mike followed Foxy without any hesitation as the Vulpine boarded his ship, not feeling so uneasy being on the ship anymore. In fact, it had begun to feel somewhat like...

Home.

* * *

They were back on the sea long before the sun had set, and with the setting sun the festivities began. The deck was still lit with lanterns, and Mike could still hear Freddy arguing with Goldie about not letting him and Mike light it up instead.

Mike grinned a bit and Goldie's raised voice carried over to him. "You set me on fire, Freddy! _On fire!_"

"I said I was sorry, Gold, and besides, the fire wasn't even that bad!" Freddy responded, just as loudly. The human laughed a bit from where he leaned against the railing with Bonnie and Chica, who were both obviously listening and just as amused as Mike.

"It's amazing how Freddy turns from gentleman- er, bear- to a whiny child when Goldie is involved," Mike commented to them, eliciting an amused snort from Chica.

"If by child, you mean brat," she snickered. Bonnie smiled a bit but didn't give a verbal response. Mike had grown to expect such "responses" from him, though, so was not bothered.

"Fire is fire is fire is fire! I coulda died!"

"It hardly even singed your fur!"

"I had a bald patch!"

"Both of them really," Chica snorted, turning to look at the moonlit sea.

"It wasn't even noticeable!"

Mike shook his head and decided to leave the couple to gaze out at the sea together, deciding he didn't feel like being a third wheel right then. Instead, he approached the bear brothers, both of whom's top hats were askew as they got in each others' face.

With a small, dull pang, Mike distantly remembered his own siblings. He himself hadn't been much for arguing, but they had all argued like their lives depended on it and made up for his lack of argument with teasing.

It had been many, many years since he thought about them, so he shoved the familiarly unfamiliar feeling away.

"Hey Freddy, Goldie," Mike interrupted the twins.

Goldie and Freddy paused in the argument to look at Mike. "Hey, Mike," Goldie greeted while Freddy gave a simultaneous, "Hello, Michael."

"Hey Freddy, Foxy seems a bit, um..." Mike paused, glancing towards the bow of the ship where Foxy was hiding out. "Unlike himself. He won't talk to me about it, but, um, you're his best friend, right? So maybe you can help him out...?"

Both of the bears glanced over towards their captain. After a moment, Freddy nodded. "This ain't over, brother," he added to Goldie, straightening his top hat. Then he headed towards the bow of the ship.

Goldie straightened his own top hat with a small huff before looking at Mike. "Something botherin' ya, Mike?"

"Not particularly, just worried about Foxy is all," Mike answered. "He promised me a story tonight."

Goldie gave a small grin. "Mm, want one of Cap'n Foxy's famous tales, huh? Well I can't help ya with that. I'm about to go back up in the rigging, actually, go back to the nest. Even with the festivities, Foxy wants us to remain vigilant."

Mike cast a gaze about the ship and noticed that, despite the festive, cheery ongoings, there seemed to be a strain in the atmosphere. Bonnie and Chica stood together at the railing far closer than they normally would and the other pirates all had some kind of weapon strapped to their hips- something that wasn't usual during party nights.

"Who's in the nest right now?" he asked curiously.

"Angelo," Goldie answered simply, it was a name Mike didn't recognize but he nodded anyway. "Want to sit with me in the nest? I'll show you how to get up there like a normal person, of course."

Mike smiled slightly and nodded. "Sure, there's nothing much for me to do down here when Foxy's being a baby," he added with a chuckle, and Goldie grinned at him.

"That's the spirit."

Meanwhile, Freddy approached the Vulpine. "Is somethin' the matter, Foxy?" he asked as he settled down beside the captain. Foxy glanced at the bear before looking out to see.

"I'm just a little confused," he admitted, dropping the pirate accent. It didn't feel right in that moment.

"About what?"

"About... earlier, I guess," Foxy growled to himself, ruffling the fur on his head with his hand in frustration. "I'm still mad about it and I don't get why."

Freddy glanced knowingly at his friend, humming softly in thought. "You were jealous of Liesel," he said simply.

"Why, though?!" Foxy burst out before biting his tongue and lowering his voice. "She's just some lass, some tavern lady's daughter. Mikey doesn't even know her, even less _like_ her. And why does that even matter- the thought that Mikey liking her would be, I don't know... some kind of horrifying thing?"

Freddy gave a calm smile while calculating exactly how the Vulpine would react to what he was about to say. "It's simple," he started, turning his gaze back to the sea. "If Michael were to fall for someone else, that means you can't have him."

"If Mikey were to- _what_?!" Freddy congratulated himself internally. "What are you implying, Fazbear?!" Right on the nail. "Mikey's just a boy! A _human_ boy, and my old friend!" Yes, exactly as he predicted.

Freddy gave a sigh, looking at his somewhat horrified, definitely affronted friend. "Foxy," he started gently, "ten years have passed since then. Michael is no longer a boy, but a young man."

Foxy gave a short growl. "Mikey is Mikey, not a-"

"Mi_chael_ is all grown up now, Foxy," Freddy sighed, glancing heavenwards as though asking someone above for help. "Perhaps the first step to realizing this is to drop the childhood nickname." He turned his gaze completely on Foxy, whose amber eyes blazed in a mixture of anger and horror. "Instead of looking at _Mikey_, look at _Michael_, or even _Mike_, Foxy. Look at the man he's become instead of rememberin' the child he used to be. There ain't nothin' wrong with feelin' for him."

"He's a human, I watched him grow up, Freddy."

"No you didn't," Freddy spoke as gently as he could, knowing Foxy's reaction would not be positive at all to what he was about to say. "Michael grew up, but you weren't there to see it. Ya met 'im when y'all were both jus' boys, 'nd then ya left 'nd he grew up."

Foxy leapt to his feet, lips raised in a snarl. He seemed to be fighting for words before turning around on his booted heel and storming away, going straight to his cabin without stopping to talk to or even acknowledge anyone.

The bear watched him go before sighing and turning his eyes back to the blackening sea. "Well that went well," he told the air, taking his hat off to brush down an unruly strand of fur. "I suppose he jus' ain't ready. That's alright, though. Michael isn't either, hm?"

* * *

It was the fifth day of the new year when Mike had felt uncomfortable with the other crewmembers, who had begun getting antsy and casting him wary glances. Somehow, he had found himself taking refuge in the crow's nest with Goldie for the night shift of watching the seas, only too happy to be away from the other crewmembers. Unfortunately, sometime during the chilly night he had fallen asleep, and the golden bear had chosen to allow him to sleep leaning against the central mast support.

The sun had barely peeked over the horizon when Mike was awoken by Goldie shouting something. He jerked awake, his vision blurry from sleep, and a thin blanket fell from around his shoulders as he sat up. "What's going on?" he asked, his voice muddled with sleep.

Goldie was staring out at the ocean, his brown eyes wide in... horror? Mike pulled himself to his feet and looked in the direction Goldie was staring in. He couldn't make anything out through the blurriness in his eyes, so he rubbed them briefly before squinting to see further, and-

Oh.

Just on the ocean's horizon was a ship, a _fast-moving _ship with deep purple sails, approaching them. It was clear they had already been spotted, and Mike briefly wondered why the eagle-eyed Goldie hadn't noticed them earlier.

Without any words, Goldie leapt out of the nest and used the rigging to spider-jump his way to the deck. Mike hurried to the ladder and began his slower, but safer, descent.

He descended the ladder as fast as he could, and it wasn't too long before his feet hit the deck. By that time, the crew was already running around and preparing for a battle, and Foxy was ushering Bonnie, along with Antonio, below deck.

The Vulpine turned around and met Mike's gaze, which lasted only a fraction of a second. "Mikey, get yer ass over 'ere!" Foxy shouted, the anger in his voice clear. Mike didn't hesitate to run over to him; although he would much prefer to be above deck there was absolutely no way he was about to disobey the captain.

"This time," Foxy growled softly, worry seeping into his voice, "_stay_ down there, else I'll put ye in the brig come nex' fight."

Mike nodded a bit before hurrying after the rabbit and the other human, both of whom had paused to wait for him. He glanced back at Foxy, who seemed to be watching him with a strange look in his eyes. The human tried to give him a comforting grin, but he didn't have to see it to know it looked more like a grimace.

Foxy appreciated the sentiment anyway. He closed the hatch leading below deck and turned around without another look, hurrying to prepare for the battle about to come.

The wait wasn't long, as the winds were in _The Violet Death_'s favour, and the other, more violent crew immediately boarded the ship. Foxy scanned the crowd for the flash of purple he knew would accompany Gene Corcran, but there was no such flash, and he didn't have any more time to search as the glint of the rising sun off of a sword caught his attention just in time for him to block the attack.

The sound of metal on metal made a sharp _shclink_ sound, which was only amplified by his sensitive hearing and grated on his already severed nerves. He parried away from his attacker and dropped into a fighting stance, and the dance of death was on. It quickly ended with Foxy's sword buried to the hilt in his attacker's abdomen, but he didn't allow that to distract him for long.

He whirled around just in time to deflect another blade with his hook, spinning it around in a way that twisted his opponent's wrist. He yanked his own sword out of the dead man's abdomen and slashed his new opponent's chest before leaping away and running along the ship, intervening in cowardly attacks while backs were turned, all the while scanning the deck for that dreaded flash of purple.

The Vulpine's blade was dripping blood by the time he finally did catch sight of purple, dashing across the deck and towards the hatch to below. With a snarl, Foxy gave chase.

Being an Animal gave Foxy certain advantages over Humans, one of which was the fact that he was _much_ faster than them. Passing Freddy, the two barely glanced at each other as the bear just barely dodged a bullet, and then he was off with no distractions.

Foxy shoved crew members of either ship aside as he gave chase to the man in purple, and when he had a clear shot he leapt at the man and tackled him to the ground, yanked him up by the hair, and put his hook to the man's neck.

"Corcran ye got a lot o' nerve ta..." Foxy trailed off, eyes widening at the grin that was slowly spreading across the human's face.

It wasn't Corcran.

"Got'cha," the human laughed, and Foxy didn't hesitate to slash his throat to put an end to the laughing immediately. He snarled and leapt to his feet, hardly thinking about it as he blocked someone else's blade. A glance at the hatch gave him the answer he expected.

The hatch was wide open.

"Dammit!" he cursed, hurrying towards the hatch. A cheetah intervened, though, and slashed at him with her short blades. Foxy just barely managed to duck the swipe and parried back from his faster opponent.

_'Cheetah,'_ he quickly analyzed her silently. _'Quick on their feet, but don't have much stamina. Keep dodging, she'll tire out.'_

Foxy continued dodging the quick swipes, finding her attacks predictable. And just as he suspected, her attacks began slowing down after the initial onslaught. He took advantage of this to block her blade with his hook and grab her arm, twisted her around and shoved her to the deck. He didn't hesitate even a moment to plunge his blade through her back, ignoring her cry of agony. He had more important things to deal with.

Foxy got up and looked back at the deck hatch, but then he saw Corcran dragging Mike out. Mike was unconscious, clearly hit in the head, and Foxy had no doubt Bonnie and Antonio were too- if they weren't dead. With a snarl, he raced towards Corcran, who abruptly turns and yanked Mike up, placing a knife at his throat.

"Stop right there, _captain_," Corcran spit at the Vulpine, his grin widening. Foxy froze, staring at Corcran with wide eyes.

"What are ye doin'?!" Foxy demanded, eyes narrowing as quickly as they had widened as he looked at Corcran.

"I need my key," Corcran told him gleefully. "But I only need his blood. Nothing says he has to be alive or fresh."

"Let him go," Foxy growled, taking a step towards him. Corcran pressed the knife harder against Mike's throat, and a thin trail of blood trickled over the knife.

"Of course, it's stronger when I can spill all of it, so I'd rather not kill him now," he continued on, his grin widening still further. "I'd rather the End be swift, not slow, after all."

Foxy was torn on what to do. He stared at the bead of blood making its way down Mike's throat and anger bubbled up in his stomach. At that moment, he wished he had a gun.

Behind him the sound of battle continued on; blades crashing against blades, bullets being fired off, pained cries of the fallen. Heavy footsteps, lighter footsteps, crude curses...

But he focused solely on this one. "Let. Him. Go," Foxy growled again, but didn't dare approach. Corcran slowly began making his way away from the hatch, keeping his back towards the railing so no one could sneak up on him.

"And why would I do that?" Corcran leered as he dragged Mike along. "I'm one hundred percent sure this is him, after all."

Foxy's growl increased in volume, but then he noticed something. He kept his eyes focused on Corcran and didn't allow his expression to change, but inside he felt his heart leap.

As silent as all of the tales say, a deep, royal purple- a much deeper, more wholesome shade than Corcran's sails- and black ship sailed up alongside _The Crimson Vixen_ behind Corcran's back. Luckily the sun was facing Corcran, so no shadow was cast over them from the _Dreamshade_'s pitch-black sails.

Standing on the railing of the darker ship was a cloaked figure, and Foxy had to fight off his grin as the cloaked figure reached forward with one thin, wiry arm and grabbed Corcran by the scruff of his shirt.

Almost as fast as the figure had done so, something collided with Corcran's hand, forcing him to drop the knife with a cry, and the figure yanked him back. Flailing his arms for a fraction of a second, Corcran gave a shout as he fell between the two ships and into the ocean.

Mike collapsed, relatively unharmed, to the ground, and suddenly Foxy's ship was swarmed with yet another pirate crew, and Corcran's crew, greatly outnumbered, retreated within a few minutes.

The Vulpine ran over to Mike as the cloaked figure landed on the deck, its soft shoes hardly making a sound. Foxy knelt down and checked Mike's cut, relieved to find it was just a shallow cut. Behind him, the crews celebrated as Corcran's ship sailed off, with a soaking wet captain shouting something or other about revenge and getting the key, but Foxy wasn't paying it any mind.

His face broke out into a grin as he covered Mike's wound with his hand. "We been lookin' fer ye," he told the captain, looking up into the face of the cloaked figure. The white mask, painted with a large smile, rosy cheeks, and purple tear tracks used to unnerve Foxy when he had first come across this pirate on the seas, but he had grown used to it.

The cloaked figure looked back at him. "We heard from one of Tralago's merchants," the captain told him, his soft voice carrying on the soft wind. "It seemed we made it just in time."

Foxy glanced behind him at the masked captain's crew members, the ones on his ship anyway, gave a small chuckle. "Aye, lad, I think ye did."

Before either captain could go one, Chica stormed over to them. "Where's Bonnie?!" she demanded, her brow creasing as she stared intently at Foxy. The captain in question looked towards the open hatch. He hadn't said anything before the chicken was racing down below deck.

"My medic can tend to your boy," the masked captain informed Foxy, "if your medic is... unable to perform."

Foxy's ears flattened, not exactly liking the thought of one of his closest friends being gone. "It jus' be a shallow scratch. We'll disinfect and bandage it, and when Bonnie is better he'll take a look." He cast a glance over his shoulder. "However, I think some o' me crew could use the help immediately, Mar."

The captain, Mar, nodded slightly and looked over towards his own ship. He lifted a hand, and not even a minute later someone else leapt on board.

"Jeremy, lad," Foxy greeted with a nod to the blonde-haired boy. Jeremy nodded back before rushing off to tend to the wounded sailors.

"I shall help with the wounded," Mar told Foxy, who barely nodded before the younger captain swept away to do as he said he would.

Foxy sighed and picked Mike up, walking over to where Freddy was kneeling over Goldie, who had taken a shot in the leg. Foxy didn't ask about the circumstances. "Mar's medic is helping," he told the Fazbear twins, neither of whom responded. "Chica is getting Bonnie. Hopefully he's alright..."

Freddy glanced up at Foxy and grimaced slightly, but nodded. "He was with Michael, yeah?" he asked, though his attention was still divided. Foxy simply nodded.

"This will be a pain to recover from," Foxy muttered, looking over his bloodstained deck. His eyes roamed over the fallen sailors and he grimaced. "Looks like Wulfric is injured pretty badly. Karl is... very dead..."

Goldie gave a gasp of pain, regaining Foxy's attention. A few moments later, though, a familiar purple bunny stumbled his way through and knelt down next to the golden bear. The bunny's left side was stained with blood and hastily wrapped using a shirt as a makeshift bandage.

"Played dead," the bunny muttered simply in response to the unasked question. "No major hits, I'm fine. Antonio was hiding." He examined Goldie quickly and with the skill required of a doctor, and Foxy was reminded not for the first time that Bonnie was raised from birth for this very purpose.

"Bullet needs to come out, but it's not in a danger zone," he concluded, wrapping the leg to stem the blood flow. "It can wait a bit. Don't move, I have other people to deal with." Then the bunny was up and, after an initial stumble, was off to the next person.

Freddy frowned in worry. "He should take care of himself first," he mumbled, but none of them tried to stop the bunny. Chica, who they hadn't even realized was there in the first place, followed closely, looking like she disapproved of the bunny's quick movements and disregard for his own safety. None of them blamed her.

"We found the _Dreamshade_," Foxy stated tiredly, setting Mike down on the deck and, more out of paranoia than anything, checked over the human's wound again. Still a thin, shallow cut. "We'll head back to Tralago, make a game plan, and rest and recover."

"That's a plan I can get behind," Goldie laughed, though his smile was strained and his amusement fake; he held his brother's hand in a death grip, obviously trying to ignore the pain, but his eyes were practically screaming.

"Aye, me too," Foxy agreed, looking at Freddy's expression, twisted in worry for his brother. "I think all of us can."


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N**: Sorry this took so long and is so short, school attacked and I was suddenly looking into pairings that are completely unrelated to this story haha, but anyway, onto the scheduled programming!

Okay, here are the poll results so far. Note the poll allows you to select up to 4 choices which definitely makes the percentages on my poll weird.

**Voters**: 8

**Goldie/Spring**: 8 votes

**TFreddy/TBonnie**: 3 votes

**TFreddy/TChica**: 1 vote

**Freddy/TBonnie**: 1 vote

**Freddy/TChica**: 1 vote

Voting ends soon! If none of the poll numbers change, then the other pairings will include **Goldie/Spring**, **Alfred/Bonzai**, and** Freddy/Chickee**, as Alfred/Bonzai wins out over Alfred/Chickee.

For the record, literally 100% of voters have voted Goldie/Spring and I am happy about that because I have a short story planned around those two, just sayin'. It won't be written until after _All For All_ is complete, though, haha.

Sorry for the relatively short chapter but it's more like filler content. We're about to get to the really good stuff after this.

* * *

When Mike woke up, he found himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling in a stiff, not-very-comfortable bed. He sat up in bed and looked around, noticing he seemed to be in a hospital ward.

On the bed to his right, a familiar golden bear lay on the bed- cot?- with his eyes closed, breathing steadily. His leg was wrapped in bandages and gauze and Mike had a feeling he was only sleeping because of medicine and/or painkillers.

He turned his gaze to his left and was surprised to see a purple bunny. Dimly, Mike remembered the door to the hiding place being kicked open, a flash of a knife, a pained shriek…

Mike blinked as he realized that Bonnie had been stabbed. Quickly he scanned the room for more people. There were people he didn't recognize as well, and still others he did recognize. At the far end of the room, he recognized Wulfric who seemed to be staring down the nervous medic standing at the end of his cot.

The medic had curly blonde hair. He couldn't see a face, but the medic was definitely male and his skin was darkened into a deep tan by the sun. Mike mused that his blonde hair was probably only so bright from being bleached by the sun as well...

"We're sorry, sir, but the infirmary on _The Crimson Vixen_ was full," the voice carried over to him. "The most injured were cared for there immediately and the least injured brought here for care."

'_So I'm not on Foxy's ship right now… then where am I?'_

Wulfric didn't respond, simply continued staring at the medic. Said medic began fidgeting under the intense stare. Mike didn't blame him.

"We're on our way back to Tralago and _The Crimson Vixen_ is just off the starboard side," he continued. "You're not a p-prisoner or anything..!"

"Hey," Mike called over, his voice rasping. The medic jumped and turned to look at him, and Mike caught sight of piercing emerald eyes and a freckled face. Mike then glanced at Wulfric and remembered the little bit of training he had done with Bonnie. "Don't worry, Wulfric just doesn't talk in general. Look at his hands, if they're shaking then he needs something for pain."

The medic blinked owlishly at Mike before turning to look at Wulfric again. "O-oh! I'm sorry!" he apologized before hurrying through a door. He returned within a minute with a syringe, and he quickly administered the pain medicine. It took only a few moments before Wulfric had relaxed and closed his eyes, settling down into the uncomfortable white cot to rest.

The blonde-haired man then went over to Mike to check on him. "How are you feeling?" he asked, checking Mike's eyes.

"My head feels light and my throat feels funny," he admitted. "Where am I? Who are you? Did Corcran get us?"

The man looked amused for a moment. "No, my captain got Corcran off of Captain Foxy's ship. You're on the _Dreamshade_. And my name is Jeremy, Jeremy Fitzgerald."

Mike blinked up at Jeremy, confused. "The _Dreamshade_?" he murmured. "We were looking for you guys…"

"We know," Jeremy told him, nodding a bit. "A merchant from Tralago left soon after you guys got to Tralago and we passed ways. They mentioned _The Crimson Vixen_'s captain was searching for us. Luckily we chose the right direction to go in- Bonzai was insistent on going west, but Alfred was arguing for north. Captain decided to compromise and went northwest."

"These names mean nothing to me," Mike pointed out, watching as Jeremy checked something on his throat. He felt a small sting of pain, so he guessed he came very close to getting his throat slit.

"Sorry," Jeremy apologized, smiling sheepishly at Mike. "Bonzai is our navigator, but Alfred is the first mate." He dabbed something on Mike's throat, which caused Mike to hiss from the sharper burning. "Sorry."

"It's fine." He glanced around the room, noting that it actually wasn't that big. There were twelve beds that weren't very spaced apart, the gaps between only large enough to stand in. The walls appeared to be made of a darker wood than Bonnie's ward was. Speaking of Bonnie... "Why is Bonnie here instead of with F- Captain Foxy?" he asked, looking back at the bunny.

"By the time he finally had to stop running around, the ward over there was already full," Jeremy answered simply, glancing at the bunny. "Some of his underlings are taking care of the patients there and we're taking care of him here."

Mike nodded absently. Goldie groaned slightly but didn't wake up, and Jeremy turned around to give him his dose of painkiller. The dark-haired human frowned in concern, watching his friend relax again. "Why's Goldie here?"

"You ask a lot of questions…" Jeremy murmured, glancing over at him.

"Why is Goldie here?" he repeated.

"Shot in the leg," Jeremy sighed. "He'll be okay, though. He just needs rest and to stay off his leg for a bit."

Mike stared at the ceiling silently then and let Jeremy go about his work. A few minutes after the medic left the ward, he swung his legs over the side of the cot and pushed himself to his feet. His head swam and he waited a few moments before walking towards the door Jeremy had left through.

The room he entered had a table and cabinets, much like Bonnie's "office," and he had no doubt that the door behind the table was the medical officer's room. He located the door with a sliver of light through the cracks and grabbed the knob. It opened effortlessly and sunlight swam inside the medical cabin.

Mike was greeted to the sight of a black and deep purple ship with colourful Animals running around. Some were simply playing, but others were dealing with the sails, others still appeared to be cleaning the cannons and some just seemed to be watching the sea around. He spotted Jeremy not far from the door, speaking to a familiar brown bear with icy blue eyes and a top hat.

The human almost started to call out to Freddy when he realized that it _wasn't_ Freddy; the bear was too short to be Freddy, his fur too chocolate looking rather than the dark bark-brown that Freddy was, the muzzle too light and creamy.

It wasn't Freddy, but it looked a hell of a lot like him at a glance.

The bear caught sight of Mike over Jeremy's shoulder and Mike couldn't help but notice that this bear had the "witch eyes." He wondered dimly if he knew. The bear tapped on Jeremy's shoulder and nodded towards Mike, causing Jeremy to turn around with his brows drawn together in surprise and disapproval.

"Who said you could leave the medical ward?" Jeremy sputtered, staring Mike down. The darker-haired man didn't feel intimidated, though; Foxy had leveled much more frightening glares that he had stood up against before.

"I feel fine," Mike dismissed. "It's just a cut and a bruise, right?" He turned his attention to the bear without waiting for an answer. "Are you a Fazbear?" He asked curiously.

The bear blinked, though he didn't look all that surprised, and nodded. "Yes," he confirmed. "Alfred Fazbear, first mate to the captain."

Mike nodded a bit. "Yeah… did you know your brothers were pirates?"

"Of course, I've been here a few years myself you know," he chuckled. "Three years, I'd say?"

Mike's gaze wandered towards the ocean off the starboard bow, and he could see _The Crimson Vixen_ in all of its red and black glory sailing right alongside them. "We're going back to Tralago?"

"Eyup."

"Our captains believe the best course of action is rest and recuperation before we make further plans," Jeremy informed him. "We- that is, Captain's officers- have been briefed on what's going on."

"I know the next course of action," Mike started bitterly, turning his gaze back to the two. They both flinched slightly at the sharp, burning look in the witch's eyes. "Find the body and burn it."

The two ally crewmembers exchanged a glance, seeming to have a silent conversation. "If you know the way to Time's End Cove, be our guest," Jeremy finally said, turning his gaze back to Mike.

"Okay so maybe there's a step or two between, but-"

"Alfreeed! Jeremy!" a new voice cut Mike off, and the three looked over as a bright blue rabbit literally bounced over to them. He seemed both excited and worried, wringing his hands in front of him as he skid to a stop in front of his friends. "Guess what, guess what, guess what I know-"

"Did Mangle give you that vile coffee stuff again?" Alfred interrupted, deadpan, as he watched the rabbit fidget in front of them.

"Maaaaaybe but anyway that's not the point, the point is that the captains are thinking that we should find that revived guy that that old captain Clawfoot, rest his soul and whatnot, and his crew met like ten years ago and get him to lead us there and what good is a navigator who can't even navigate and they have to bring someone from outside in?" The rushed words ended in a sudden whine and Mike wasn't sure if he'd actually caught anything before the whine slowed his words down. Apparently the rabbit wasn't feeling so hot about not knowing the way.

"Bonzai, Bonzai. Calm down," Alfred advised, grabbing the even shorter bunny's shoulder and leading him away from the humans. "You know you're not supposed to have coffee when there are guests."

"But Alfreeeeeed!"

The argument faded as Jeremy and Mike watched the two Animals leave. Jeremy sighed and looked at Mike. "Sorry, Bonzai is naturally excitable, coffee just makes it ten times worse," he apologized, his lips turning up in a sheepish smile. "Now come on, you really shouldn't be up and about until your head is feeling better."

"Where's Foxy?" Mike suddenly asked, causing Jeremy to pause. "I'm not sure but it sounded like that rabbit said "captains _are,_" but how could they be communicating if Foxy is still on the _Vixen_?"

Jeremy blinked. "O-oh, no, your captain's over here right now. Freddy is acting captain for _The Crimson Vixen_ right now, Captain and your captain are talking. I guess they were talking with Bonzai about their plans, since he's the navigator. Captain Foxy will probably-"

"Find ye out o' bed lookin' like a leaf in winter," the familiar voice spoke up, causing both humans to jump out of their skin and look at the red fox to Mike's left. His arms were crossed and he stared at Mike with a raised brow. "Mikey, I know yer injuries aren't so bad but ye really shouldn't be out o' the ward 'til yer feelin' better an' the doc tells ye ye be free t' go."

"I'm fine, Foxy," Mike insisted yet again, but Foxy had already taken him by the shoulder, gentle yet firmly, and was leading him back to the medical ward. "I'm fine, really," he repeated but did nothing to fight against his captain, feeling too whoozy to really protest.

Jeremy did nothing to stop the Vulpine captain from leading the patient away.

When Mike was settled back in bed, he sighed and glanced at his golden-furred friend. Goldie was still awake and watching them with a furrowed brow; apparently he was confused too. Mike gave the bear a grin. "Thanks for lying to me," he laughed, though it was strained. He ignored the confused look Foxy and Goldie both gave him. "The ship is purple and black- pitch black sails, not pearl white, and there's no deep blue."

"Huh… must'a changed since last time I saw it," Goldie huffed with an equally-strained grin. "Haven't seen it in a year or so really…"

"What be the two o' ye talkin' 'bout?" Foxy asked, raising a brow.

"Goldie here told me _The Dreamshade_ was deep blue and black with white sails," Mike mumbled closing his eyes. He suddenly felt very tired. "Obviously that's not true…

"Hey, Foxy… where are we going now…?"

Foxy gazed down at his old friend. The human looked like he was on the verge of falling asleep, his body relaxing into the cot. Finally, he said, "Back to Tralago so all of you can rest and heal."

"Heh… your accent's gone, cap…"

"Oh just sleep, Mikey lad," Foxy chuckled, looking up at Goldie. The golden bear was watching him with a knowing gleam in his eyes that was so reminiscent of Freddy that Foxy almost felt that flare of anger in his chest again, but as the ship lurched slightly and the knowing expression slipped away in favour of a grimace he found he didn't have the heart to be angry at his wounded friend. "Both of ye should rest. We'll be back in Tralago within a week now."

"Awesome, cap," Goldie laughed, dropping his head back against the pillow. "Wake me when we get there…"

Mike's breathing had already evened out so the Vulpine captain simply nodded and turned around, heading back towards the door. He paused and glanced back at his friends, a small frown crossing his face as he gazed at their bandages- all of their bandages; Mike's neck, Goldie's leg, and Bonnie's side. Of course he knew piracy was dangerous. He had never had any illusions otherwise, it was all part of the thrill. But he could have lost three of his dearest friends and that did not settle well with him.

The red fox turned back to the door and sighed. "Friedrich." The bear shifted slightly and hummed a bit to let his captain know he was listening. "We're going to seek out the Revived again." He looked over his shoulder at the bear whose brow was creased with worry. "You remember it took Clawfoot nearly fourteen years to find him the first time? Well, we'll be depending on your eagle eyes to help us find him before Corcran finds Time's End."

Goldie gave a very minute nod in understanding. "You're hoping he'll lead us there… aren't'cha?"

"Exactly. With a guide, we can get there and destroy the body before Corcran even knows we're there." Foxy sighed. "But for now, rest well. _The Dreamshade_'s captain and I still need to talk about everything."

"Good luck, Foxy."

The door was shut before Goldie finished his sentence but the golden bear didn't mind, instead leaning back against the pillow and staring blankly at the ceiling. He had a bad feeling rising up in his chest and he didn't think it was about his injury.

* * *

"Captain Foxy."

Foxy turned his amber eyes to the cloaked and masked captain, giving him as best a grin as he could muster. "Cap'n," he greeted the other with a nod. He couldn't see the other's eyes through the mask's "eye holes" but he had long since stopped being bothered by it. "Did ye need somethin'?"

"I was just wondering if you have any ideas on how to locate the Revived."

The red Vulpine sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Nay, Marion. I don't. His last known location was around the Cathan Islands, but… I doubt he would have stayed there after being found the first time."

"Perhaps if he is shipless and isolationist he will not have had a way to go far."

"He's a Revived, Cap," Foxy reminded him, shaking his head. "Revived have Power, magic or whatever ye prefer to call it. He could have gone literally anywhere."

"But we know he will be somewhere that he can be isolated," Marion pointed out, stepping closer to the rail to look over the darkened sea. "There are not many small, uninhabitable islands left in the world. Most are in the Cathan Islands."

"He could just as easily be on the volcanic island outside of Meldoran."

"Or he could be closer than any of us think… he could be on the isles around Tralago."

"Someone would have found him by now," Foxy dismissed, shaking his head slightly. "The Tralagons actively explore those isles. He could even be on some undiscovered island."

"Are you sure you want to spend so much time seeking him out?" Marion questioned, looking at the Vulpine captain. His tone was as soft and flat as it usually was but Foxy could detect a hint of concern. "At this point we may as well have searched for the cove itself."

"Time's End Cove will be harder to find than Springtrap ever could be. People leave traces…" Foxy turned to look at his ally. "Time's End Cove has no tracks. We need him to guide us there."

The masked man stared at the fox for several silent seconds and then nodded in understanding. "Besides… him being Revived may be beneficial, if he agrees to help us," the human captain observed. "Am I correct?"

"If he even knows how to use it," Foxy agreed, pushing himself away from the rail. "Yer other human, Fritz, he's up in th' riggin' now, aye?"

"Yes. He is keeping a watch for Corcran or any of Corcran's allies."

"Then I think it be time we excuse ourselves t' bed, aye cap'n?"

Marion nodded slightly. "It is late," he conceded, turning away from the deep violet rail. "We have a long search ahead for us."

Foxy nodded in agreement. "'Til the morn, Cap'n Marion."

"Until the morning, Captain Foxy."


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N**: I'm posting these chapters together since they're so short, my apologies! Therefore the poll is still up!

Now it's time for the story to _really_ begin. And don't worry, I'm gonna try and update this at least once a week from here on out. Note the "try"!

* * *

"C'mon, Bonnie, it don't even hurt anymore- if I can't walk I can't climb to the nest, y'know…!"

Mike watched the golden bear argue with the purple medic; he would have found the scene extremely amusing if he hadn't been having the same argument with their friend just four days earlier, when they were still on _The Dreamshade._ Now the three of them were in a large room at the _Chariot_ being used as a makeshift hospital for Goldie, Wulfric, and a few other injured crewmembers. Mike himself had been released from the medics' attention just three days before, the cut on his throat having healed satisfactorily.

Goldie, on the other hand, was still fighting for his right to even get out of bed. Mike shared a grin with the two blue-eyed bears across the other side of the bed, both of whom were watching the scene with clear amusement. Standing side by side Mike could see that Freddy and Alfred didn't really look anything alike while still bearing that sibling alikeness. It was... strange, to say the least.

"I already told you, your leg is healing fine and you'll be back to climbing the rigging in no time, but for the time being stay still, Goldie, it's not completely healed yet," Bonnie chastised, checking his golden-furred friend's leg as he spoke.

"It feels fine," Goldie complained again, groaning. "Ya said yourself it didn't hit anythin' important!"

"That doesn't mean it wasn't a bad wound."

"Bonnie," Freddy interrupted, trying to hide his amusement. "Maybe ya should start lettin' 'im walk 'round a bit. We won't do well with a lookout which ain't even strong enough to walk no more."

"Plus I think your captain mentioned somethin' 'bout 'im bein' important for our search?" Alfred added thoughtfully, slipping his hands into his pockets casually. Mike briefly remembered the bear's lackluster reaction to being told he was a witch.

Actually, it had been… no reaction at all. He had already known from _his_ captain telling him a few years before. Talk about anti-climactic.

"Well, while you guys bargain for Goldie's freedom, I'm goin' back outside to join Foxy and them," Mike informed them, waving at the bear brothers and Bonnie before turning and walking out the door, ignoring Goldie's cry of _deserter!_

He laughed softly and shook his head, pausing as he felt his hair brushing against his shoulders. It was getting long, he noted with a frown, taking a clump of it between two of his fingers. _How annoying._ He didn't dwell on it long, though, as he continued downstairs to where Foxy, _The Dreamshade_'s "officers" and Chica all sat, enjoying their own drinks and making plans.

"...on't get it, why're we spendin' time searching for this guy instead of the Cove?" Mike heard the blue navigator of _The Dreamshade_ question as he approached their table.

"Because it's easier to find a disappeared person than a place that logically shouldn't exist," Chica deadpanned towards the bunny who pouted in response. The more Mike got to know this other crew the harder it was for him to believe they were pirates from the dreaded _Dreamshade_. Of course, hadn't he already experienced that with _The Crimson Vixen_'s crew? "There is a reason very few people have found Time's End, y'know. Oh, hey Mike," she greeted upon noticing his approach.

Foxy turned to him and grinned slightly. "Aye, Mikey, pull up a chair," he invited, gesturing to the chair next to him. Mike didn't question why the fox had saved him a seat, instead simply sitting down as commanded. "We're goin' over our plans t' find th' Revived lad."

Mike nodded in understanding. "I kinda figured," he laughed a bit, looking at the other crewmembers. The captain was still wearing his creepy painted mask and cloak with Jeremy at his right, the blue bunny at his left. A human Mike had yet to meet sat next to Jeremy with curly orange-red hair and hazel eyes, his skin just as sunkissed as Jeremy's. Another yellow chicken, this one significantly smaller than Chica in every way possible and looking a lot cheerier, sat next to the bunny. A vixen sat beside her; strangely enough she was pink and white but Mike chose not to question it as he knew the vixen could probably kill him with a single look. His blue eyes trailed to the dark-skinned human sitting next to the vixen; he had strange yellow eyes not quite like Foxy's amber. Mike had never actually met him before.

"How's the golden bear?" The blue bunny asked curiously, leaning against his hand on the table.

"Bargaining for his freedom," Mike answered, getting snickers from the rest. There was a tenseness about them all so it was nice to hear a bit of humour slip into the conversation. "Why is Time's End Cove so hard to find, anyway? I mean, I get no one knows where it is, but why not?"

"Well," Foxy started, glancing up at the ceiling. "We only got legends to go by as none o' us've been there ourselves, but accordin' to stories th' sea 'round Time's End Cove is blacker'n th' moonless, starless night, 'nd th' fog there be so thick it blocks out th' sky 'nd interferes with compasses 'nd such. They say ye run 'cross it by chance when ye be los' as c'n be, bu' they also be sayin' tha' th' Cove be callin' to the Revived, so they always be knowin' where it be."

"That's a lot of stories for a place that's so hard to find," Mike snorted, glancing down at the table.

"Time's End Cove has existed since Time began," the masked captain informed Mike, running a gloved finger around the rim of his glass. Mike wasn't sure how he was drinking it but again, he didn't ask. "There have been hundreds and thousands of years for sailors to run across it and make stories. Of course someone would survive."

"It just seems so… fantasy," Mike sighed, glancing at Foxy.

"Says the witch," the vixen laughed softly, shaking her head. "I know it seems strange, I have trouble wrapping my mind around it too, but it's all real."

"And now we're searchin' for the semi-livin' proof of that," the smaller chicken chimed in with a strained smile. "Speakin' of, when we gonna head out, Captains?"

"When Goldie's been cleared," Foxy answered without hesitation. "I trust yer boy Fritz, o' course, mate, but Goldie has th' sharpest eyes on all th' seas, 'nd he's real good at figurin' clues out."

"It's been almost ten years, Foxy, what kind of clues could there be left?" Chica asked skeptically, raising a brow.

"There always be clues, lass. Firs' stop will be 'is ol' home in th' Cathan Islands. Maybe 'e lef' somethin' that'll give us a lead."

"We're runnin' on blind faith here, Foxy, this guy's had, what, a hundred years to perfect the art of hiding?" Chica shot back with a small scoff. Foxy barked out a laugh and shook his head.

"He died a hundred years ago, lass- 'e was Revived twenty-seven or eight years ago now, the year I was born," he corrected, chuckling and shaking his head. "He ain't even had half a century to learn."

"Oh, right. Oh well," Chica brushed the mistake off simply enough. "Twenty-eight years is still plenty of time to learn how to properly hide out."

"But is nothin' compared t' a hundred years."

Mike looked at Jeremy who simply shrugged in response. "I think I'll go back to helping Goldie get free," Mike mentioned as Foxy and the cook began arguing about how long was enough.

"I think I'll join you," Jeremy said, standing up as Mike did and giving his crewmates a bit of a wave. The two humans began walking away from the crews and back up the stairs. "It's been a week, I think Goldie should be able to walk just fine now."

"I think Bonnie's scared," Mike admitted, glancing at the blonde. "He tried to keep me down for that little cut on my neck, so I think this has something to do with the fact that we were injured at all."

"That's the life of a pirate," Jeremy pointed out, pulling the key to the "hospital" out of his pocket. "Everyone knows that-"

Jeremy didn't get to finish his sentence as, swiftly, they felt themselves grabbed from behind and hands shoved over their mouths to mute their shrieks. In his surprise, Jeremy accidentally dropped the keys and was unable to reach them as his arms were pinned against his sides. Immediately Mike began struggling and kicking at their attackers but none of his kicks made their mark.

"Which one were 'e wantin'?" He heard a voice by his ear hissing to its companion.

"I don't know, let's jus' take de' both o' dem," the other, much lower, hissed right back. "Dey're both 'uman. Could be either o' dem."

Mike glanced over at Jeremy as he felt himself being dragged towards the open window at the end of the hallway. A tall sickly-pale man was behind Jeremy, pinning his arms and muffling his cries for help. Mike tried to bite down on his own kidnapper's hand but felt his teeth come in contact with rough thick scales.

A Reptile had him. Mike's eyes widened and he tried to kick more but then he felt a claw dig into his cheek, eliciting a flinch and a muffled curse from the dark-haired man.

"Stop!" The Reptile hissed, not caring that his sharp claws were drawing blood. He continued dragging the human towards the window.

Mike's eyes suddenly landed on the lights. They were electric, something that had absolutely amazed him when he first noticed; an old technology that was lost during the war and had never made a comeback, at least not to small Myrland. However, he was not marveling at how amazing it was now.

He was considering its flaws.

Mainly it and other modern technologies' incompatibility with magic.

Concentrating heavily on the lights in front of the stairs and in the stairwell, he shoved as much energy- as much Power- as he knew how towards them and all at once, in a shower of glass and sparks, they all exploded with a grand, sharp _pop_!

Simultaneously, four things happened; the first was that the hallway under the exploded lights fell into shadows; the second was the door to the "infirmary" was thrown open; the third was that, in his shock, the tall man dropped Jeremy down onto the glass littering the floor; and the fourth was the sound of several heavy boots pounding against the wood of the stairs as the pirates raced to see what had happened.

Freddy was the first to see what was happening and without hesitance he dashed forward, immediately flooring the tall human with a single punch to the side of his head. Bonnie ran over to Jeremy, helping him get up off of the floor and dragging him to the "infirmary" to deal with the glass stuck in his skin.

When Foxy dashed into the hallway and spotted the Reptile slipping out the window with Mike firmly in his grasp, he didn't hesitate to race over to the window and grab the Reptile's long tail. "Oh no ye don't!" He snarled, yanking the Reptile back down. The reptile released his hand from over Mike's mouth, using it to claw at the roof.

Mike saw an opening as the reptile's grip on him loosened, focused as he was on hanging onto the tavern's shingled roof. Concentrating on not falling himself, Mike hooked his feet around the gutter pipes hanging just under the roof and along the wall and shoved backwards as hard as he could. The Reptile, having not expected this action, quickly lost his grip on both his hostage and the roof, letting out a strangled cry of surprise as he fell. Foxy released the Reptile's tail and watched as he hit the ground with a sickening crunch, his cry silenced abruptly. He felt no pity for it, instead looking up towards Mike.

Mike was hanging, upside down, from the groaning gutter pipes. "A little help?" He asked Foxy over his shoulder. "I don't think these pipes will hold on very long…!"

"Just a moment, Mikey, don't worry," Foxy assured, climbing onto the windowsill and reaching towards Mike. "Freddy! Come help me!"

"Right, Captain," Freddy agreed, hurrying over to keep Foxy from falling out of the window. When Foxy was being safely held in place by Freddy, the Vulpine captain turned his attention back to Mike and slid his left hand around the human's shoulders, his prosthetic right going towards where he predicted the human's legs would land.

"Okay, Mikey, jus' drop down 'nd I'll catch ye," he promised, steady and prepared for anything- even leaping out the window to grab him, if need be.

Mike knew he should have been terrified at the thought of letting go. Two stories wasn't all that high, to be honest, but falling would still be dangerous… especially upside down. The Reptile, lying broken in the alley below, was proof enough of that. But he trusted Foxy- quite literally with his life- so he carefully loosened his feet until they slid free of the pipes. As promised, Foxy caught him, adjusting his arms only slightly to make up for the movement as he slid his feet free.

It was almost surprising how strong the fox was as he pulled the dark haired human closer and, with Freddy's help, climbed down from the window. He set Mike down on his feet but didn't quite let go of him.

"Smart idea, targetin' the lights," someone commented but Mike didn't look to see who it was. It was a voice he didn't really know yet.

"Mikey, ye've got cuts on yer face," Foxy told him, lightly touching the three scratches the Reptile had left. He scowled, his eyes trailing to the fallen human.

"Let's get him to Bonnie, make sure it doesn't get infected," Freddy suggested, gently leading Mike towards the room door.

"What exactly just happened?" Mike heard someone asking as he lifted his own hand to his cheek, glancing at the blood on his fingers. He could hear Foxy's footsteps as he followed the bear and human into the "infirmary" room but he didn't protest; he felt better that the fox was with him right then.

Bonnie was still carefully picking glass out of Jeremy's skin as Mike was directed to sit down so Foxy went and got a rag and some water to clean the cuts. When the rough cloth touched his marred skin, pressing against the scratches to clean the blood off, Mike winced. Foxy wasn't the most gentle person in the world but he was careful as he dabbed the blood away to reveal the three thin, shallow cuts.

"Good news, it ain't so bad as it looked," Foxy informed Mike with a small grin, taking the antiseptic that Freddy handed over to him. "This'll sting a bit, lad."

"I know," Mike answered, bracing himself. He kept his eyes trained on Foxy's amber ones, which in turn were focused on the scratches on his cheek. It stung a lot worse than the cut on his throat had and he bit his tongue to keep himself from whining, but he didn't protest as the Vulpine captain cleaned the cuts and finished them off with a bandage. Foxy gave him a grin once it was done and Mike did his best to return it.

"Thar ye be, Mikey lad," Foxy laughed. The sound, though, chilled Mike as he realized that the fox was not amused at all. In fact, he was angry.

Very angry.

"Do somebody got th' lily-livered scoundrel in th' hall?" Foxy questioned, turning to look at Chica and Freddy in the doorway. The masked captain was also inside, hovering around Bonnie and Jeremy. Mike thought he almost looked concerned, which was weird as not an inch of him was visible under his mask and cloak.

"Mangle and Endie grabbed him," Chica answered simply, crossing her arms as she silently observed Mike's bandaged cheek. She didn't look too happy at all.

"He's tied up now, Captain," Freddy added, nodding slightly. "He's secure and there ain't no way he'll be gettin' free."

"Good," Foxy nodded in satisfaction, standing up. "In that case-"

"Captain!" An unfamiliar, high-pitched voice filled with stress and alarm suddenly shouted from down the hall, getting everyone's attention. They all turned towards the door, Freddy and Chica stepping to either side, as a brown and white hamster suddenly ran in, skidding to a stop in front of them and leaning over, panting, as he attempted to catch his breath. He was one of _The Dreamshade_'s crew members, though Mike didn't recognize him. "Captain, she's burnin'!"

There was silence for a few moments as the words sunk into everyone's minds, confusion slowly turning into understanding. Then Marion was out the door and Foxy was quick to follow, leaving no time for any arguments or questions.

Understanding finally dawning, Mike leapt to his feet and ran after them. The sound of heavy and light footsteps following told him the others were as well but he paid it no mind. He ignored the crunch of glass under his own boots and took the stairs two steps at a time, unconcerned with the thought of falling, and dashed through the tense dining hall and out the front door, taking a sharp left and running through the crowded road after the quicker captains. He didn't need to be able to see them to know where they were going, though; the docks, where _The Dreamshade_ and _The Crimson Vixen_ had made port.

Already as he got away from the narrow roads into the wider open main street he could see dark, black smoke billowing into the sky. He kept running.

Soon, though, he reached the dock and skid to a halt next to Foxy and Marion and stared, wide-eyed and panting, at the sight which greeted them. Even to him, who was not a pirate at heart and held no attachment to any ship, could feel horror and grief seize his heart.

_The Crimson Vixen_ was fine for the moment, it seemed; she had been moved away from _The Dreamshade_, which was consumed by deep, orange and blue flames licking their way all through the wood and up the masts, running along the rigging's rope supports. Somewhere in the belly of the ship he could hear explosions as flame met gunpowder. When the footsteps behind him slowed, he could hear a few horrified gasps and even a cry from one of the pirates, though he couldn't be sure which.

Mike watched as the central mast began tipping, the fire eating away at all of its support, and people around screamed and ran away as it began falling forwards towards the dock, what was left of the rigging and the nest coming with it. Mike felt himself freeze for a few seconds before a furry hand grabbed him by his upper arm and dragged him out of the danger zone as the once-beautiful ship succumbed to the flames, her rigging collapsing onto the cobbled land in a shower of fire and embers and her mast crashing and splintering before buckling and falling into the water between the burning ship and the land. The smoke was almost as black as the sails.

"Harvey, was there anyone onboard?" Marion demanded of the hamster who had followed, turning away from his ship.

"Nay, Captain, all o' us got off when we couldn't put the fire out."

"What happened?" This time it was Foxy who asked, watching the ship burn with a scowl. His grip on Mike's arm tightened slightly, though it wasn't painful. "Was it that blight Antonio?"

"Someone set it alight, Captain Foxy, but it weren't no human!" Harvey answered the Vulpine, shaking his head. "We saw it happenin' an' signaled for the _Vixen_ t' get away, and some o' th' other crew mates chased th' rat off but th' damage was done an' we couldn't put her out!"

"Calm down, Harvey," Marion commanded, watching as his ship burned. "As long as no one was onboard and harmed. She can be replaced."

Mike noticed the somber silence and a glance around showed a melancholic expression on everyone's faces, even the excitable Bonzai and Chickee- both of whom were actually silently crying. He then turned his attention to Foxy, whose own expression mirrored the others as he watched the ship fall, anger sparking in his eyes. Turning his gaze back to the ship he couldn't help but feel a certain amount of sadness as well; _The Dreamshade_ had been a truly beautiful ship and it was clear she had been important to the crew. She had been home.

When you were a sailor at heart, Mike pondered, even the sight of another ship burning could fill you with sadness. And the two crews around him definitely were sailors at heart.

"What'll we do now?" Mangle asked, turning her eyes to the masked captain. "Captain?"

"We will find a new ship and continue where we left off," was the simple answer.

"Findin' a ship might take time," Freddy pointed out to the masked captain, who simply nodded in agreement. "I don't think there's enough time t' find a new ship, not here in Tralago."

"He be right," Foxy agreed, looking at Marion. "Cap'n, 'til this all be blown over, ye and yer officers are welcome on the _Vixen_," Foxy told his ally. "I would offer it for yer whole crew, but there be only so much room on me ship."

"Perhaps on our search for your Revived we can make a side stop at the Cathan Islands' ports," Marion agreed hesitantly and Mike was sure he was frowning. "It is best that we not separate during this time, anyways."

"Aye, we were goin' t' be travelin' together anyways, what difference do it make if it be on one ship instead? There be just one thing I feel the need to say," Foxy muttered, turning to look towards Mike and Jeremy, who stood side-by-side. Fritz was standing a few steps behind, fidgeting as Foxy's amber eyes landed on the three of them. "Methinks the boys should stay ashore."


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N**: New chapter! I've got the next 7 or so chapters written already, now I'm just doing the editing!

Well, pairings are now set, the poll is closed. Pairings will now include Goldie/Spring, Alfred/Bonzai, and Freddy/Chickee, though none of them come into play in All For All. And now that that's settled, keep in mind that this chapter was actually written a week before the pairings were set so the fact that Goldie/Spring is now AFA canon has nothing to do with Goldie and Freddy's past!

**Any of you who have read _Dreamshade_, the backgrounds don't exactly line up- mainly the ages (minus Chickee's). This is because _Dreamshade_ was written before anything was official. Sorry!

* * *

"_What?!"_

Mike hadn't even realized that the shriek had belonged to him until Jeremy roughly elbowed him in the ribs in an attempt to silence him. He shoved Jeremy's arm away, cutting Foxy off before he could even say anything in response. "Stay here? Why the _hell_ would we be better off staying here?!"

"Foxy's got a point, it's a bit dangerous for humans right now," Freddy hesitantly agreed, glancing at the Vulpine captain uncertainly.

"Oh, so you think it's safer here? Where not even ten minutes ago two of us nearly got kidnapped?" Mike demanded, ignoring Jeremy's hiss to _shut up_ because no one argues with a captain. But Mike wasn't just anybody, he was Michael Thomas Schmidt, childhood friend of Foxy, and like _hell_ was he going to be left behind again.

"Good point," Chica drawled, fiddling with her sleeves. She seemed disinterested but a glance up towards Mike showed she wasn't happy about any of this, her beak pulled into a frown and her brows drawn together. "Foxy, if ya leave 'em here who's gonna save 'em the next time one of Corcran's guys tries 'nd kidnaps 'em?" She asked the captain, looking towards him.

"Better here than out there where he can get himself killed," Foxy stated, crossing his arms with a scowl. There was a steely look in his amber eyes but Mike didn't back down.

"Oh no, don't you _dare_ give me that," Mike seethed, pointing at him. "You're the one who_ literally_ carried me to your ship and made me come with you, you don't get to just, just dump me here like I'm some kind of, I dunno, som-"

"It ain't like that and ye know it!" Foxy interrupted, his eyes narrowing at the human. "This is for your own safety!"

"For my own safety?! Foxy, I was just _almost kidnapped_ from the god damned _tavern_! What part of that screams "safe"?!" Mike demanded, stepping towards the fox. He was dimly aware that everyone else had shut up and was just watching the two of them argue- including complete strangers passing by- but he paid them no mind, focusing his icy eyes on Foxy's amber. "If you want me to be even a _little_ safe then you won't leave me alone in a place I don't know anything about with people I don't know at all!"

Foxy growled and made to say something, but the masked captain stepped forward and set a hand on Foxy's shoulder, stilling the fox's words. Foxy's growl lowered as he glanced at Marion.

The allied captain said, "Captain Foxy, your boy does have a point. I would rather keep Jeremy and Fritz where I can see them. While we are away anything could happen that we will not be able to know about until we come back. Leaving them alone, defenseless, even in Tralago would practically be a death sentence. At least, if they are with us, we will be there to stop any… trouble."

The Vulpine Captain snarled but, hesitantly, conceded, knowing his ally was right. "Fine," he agreed gruffly, "But none o' ye are t' be alone, got tha'? Wherever ye be, one o' us must always be there. Am I clear?" He growled, staring the humans down and daring any of them to disagree.

While Jeremy and Fritz fidgeted under the Vulpine captain's gaze, Mike glared right back and gave a slight, jerky nod. "Aye, captain," he added almost as an afterthought, though surprisingly there was no mocking tone to it.

Foxy was still the captain, after all.

Mike and Foxy had a short stare down before Foxy gave a nod of his own, apparently satisfied, and turned to look at Bonnie. "I know ye said Goldie needs a bit more rest, but he can do th' restin' on th' _Vixen_, we're leavin' _now._"

The purple medic frowned but nodded slightly in understanding, not daring to argue. "Alright, Captain," he agreed softly. "I'll go get him ready to go." He quickly turned and hurried back towards the Chariot, his ears flat.

"While you prepare, I will speak to the rest of my crew," Marion decided. "As you said before, there is only so much room on your ship." He turned and walked towards where the rest of his crew stood in silence, watching their ship burn. Foxy then turned to his own.

"Well, let's get th' _Vixen_ loaded up. I see her pullin' in o'er there."

The crew all nodded and hurried to do as told, soon leaving only _The_ _Dreamshade_'s officers and Foxy's closest friends, bar Bonnie. Foxy sighed and ran his hand over his eyes, looking tired all of a sudden. "Well, so far this is disastrous," he muttered.

"That's what happens when ya go against someone like Gene Corcran," Freddy sighed, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. "He has men everywhere," he repeated his words from months before. "Probably even somewhere in the crew."

"Probably, aye," Foxy agreed. "Come on, lads 'nd lasses, let's all be makin' ourselves useful 'nd get _The Crimson Vixen_ ready t' set sail." He glanced over at Bonzai. "Lad, ye'll be workin' with me boy Odie. It be up to ye two t' get us t' th' Cathan Islands safely."

Bonzai nodded in understanding and followed the _Vixen_'s crew, trailing behind with Mike. He glanced back towards Marion, who now stood alone on the dock watching the last embers of his burnt and gutted ship. Mike turned his own gaze away from Bonzai and the masked captain, hurrying after Foxy and leaving _The Dreamshade_'s crew to mourn.

* * *

"Dammit, Freddy, it hasn't even been a day!"

It felt good to laugh again, to feel almost normal again. Mike felt like he hadn't laughed in days, not for real anyway, but as he sat with Freddy and the bear's brothers he couldn't help it; Freddy had once again accidentally set his golden twin on fire.

Luckily for Goldie, it was his hat instead of his fur this time.

As the bear patted out his violet hat, Mike turned to look at the third brother, Alfred. Alfred was sitting between Freddy and Goldie, across from Mike, with an amused grin on his face. "As you can see, we don't quite have a hang of this yet," Mike deadpanned, though his grin gave away his own amusement.

"I can tell," Alfred chuckled, leaning back on his hands. "I ain't very good at it, either, but I stopped settin' folks on fire after the first month."

"Shut up, Alfred," Freddy sighed, watching the brother with his leg still wrapped up set his burnt hat atop his head. "I haven't been able to practice in a while."

Mike watched the brothers argue, finding it strange how apart the two brown bears seemed so proper and yet when put together or with Goldie they were suddenly as foolish as their golden brother always was. It still reminded him of his brothers and sister, but what could he do? It seemed only natural.

However, something _was_ bugging Mike. The twin brothers seemed to get along splendidly with their youngest brother… so why were they in two different crews? Mike didn't understand it and, before he could stop himself, he blurted out, "Why did you guys separate?"

Freddy and Alfred stopped arguing to look at Mike with raised brows and Goldie frowned, glancing towards the ocean and away from Mike's questioning gaze. Mike wondered if he had said something wrong, remembering Chica and Bonnie mentioning that the bears never spoke about where they came from or their past. Maybe there was a reason.

The bears then all exchanged glances, seeming to be having a silent conversation, and Alfred finally shrugged, earning a sigh from the twins.

"Hey, it's not like he can't be trusted," Alfred pointed out. "I told my friends what happened ages ago, why hide it from yours'?"

"We're not hidin' anythin', it's just no one asked," Freddy defended with a frown. Then he sighed and turned his attention to Mike, his mouth drawn into a tight, tense line. "Alright, boy, listen up 'cause we're only explainin' this once. I'm sure ya know by now we're from the Old World, yeah?" Mike nodded in confirmation. "Well, specifically we're from Old World Savannah. Our family's been wealthy farm owners since Animals won the right to own properties and businesses in Savannah a hundred and five years ago."

"But that life just wasn't for us," Goldie continued on, shaking his head and leaning back against the cabin of the ship. "We craved adventure and excitement, not… livin' our lives with some borin' ladies with borin' children and a borin' farm. We were almost twenty and the pressure was bein' put on us to separate and settle down with a proper lady and have kids to, y'know, continue the line or whatever. That… didn't appeal to us. Alfred here was only seventeen and was still able to do things we weren't allowed to anymore, seek little adventures 'round home. He didn't have no pressure yet. We were bein' pressured every day."

"The last straw, though, was when our parents went past pressurin' and just arranged it themselves," Freddy picked up, shaking his head with a scowl. "They arranged the two of us to marry complete strangers. That didn't sit well with either of us, so we grabbed our stuff one day and ran off. We ran into Clawfoot in the ports and… well, y'know, what bigger adventure is there than the seas, goin' places where you're not s'posed to, playin' by your own rules? It was the chance we were lookin' for."

"That doesn't sound all that bad," Mike pointed out, frowning in confusion. Goldie hesitated and glanced at his brothers, both of whom nodded slightly, solemn frowns on their faces. The golden bear sighed and rubbed his face before leaning into the circle a bit, his voice hushed so no one just passing by could overhear. Mike realized this was probably something that no one else knew. Why were they trusting him with this? Why not Foxy or Bonnie or Chica? Was it because he'd actually asked?

"The arranged marriages were the last straw, Mike, not the only reason," he quietly informed the human, his tone almost dangerous and uncharacteristic of the usually happy bear. It was so serious that it sent shivers down Mike's spine. "The arranged marriages were in response to somethin' I did that made dad so mad, he beat me and Freddy both real bad for it, even though Freddy had nothin' to do with it." Mike's eyes widened slightly at the revelation, trying to imagine what kind of parent would beat their kids- especially their _adult_ kids. His own certainly had _never_ laid a hand on him.

"What… happened?" Mike asked hesitantly, unsure if he really wanted to know. The frustrated and unhappy expressions on the other two brothers' face made him feel sure that he didn't.

"He caught me with my lover," Goldie said simply, confusing the human. How did that make someone _that_ mad? "His name was John."

Oh. _Oh._ "Oh," was all Mike could utter, feeling shocked to his core. He had never once thought that his friend swung _that_ way. Not that that was a problem, of course; Mike really didn't care. But he knew how many parts of the world felt about that kind of thing. "Oh…"

"Yeah, _oh_," Goldie chuckled mirthlessly, sitting back against the cabin wall. "He thought if _I_ was that way then Freddy probably was too, bein' twins and all."

"Thankfully he left Alfred out of it," Freddy added with a huff. "But yeah… a week later our engagements were announced. So we ran."

"And left me behind," Alfred complained, pouting at his brothers. "Not even a year later _I_ was bein' pressured. I managed to handle it until I was twenty-one," he continued, "But that was only 'cause I kept promisin' I'd settle down when all my standards were met, take over the family plantation, all that. I guess our parents didn't wanna risk runnin' me off, too, with an arranged marriage. But I met Chickee at some point between y'all disappearin' and me leavin' too, and we both wanted the same thing; freedom, the right to make our own way, ya know. So we did when the pressure was on." He snorted to himself, shaking his head. "They didn't give up easily on me, though. Sent out missin' persons reports everywhere. We arrived in Cortsdan just t' find ourselves bein' chased immediately. Then outta nowhere the Captain appears and saves us from bein' captured and… whatever else those jerks had planned for us, and he asked us to join his crew. It was freedom and that was what was important to us, so we accepted."

Mike listened, his brows drawn together, but he didn't interrupt.

"Our Captain and your Captain became allies I think… four years ago? Somethin' like that. And then I met my brothers again," Alfred explained, grinning. "I stayed with our Captain, though, because I belonged on _The Dreamshade_ and they belonged on _The Crimson Vixen._ There was never any question where we would stay, but when we could we kept contact."

"And you conveniently forgot to tell me we were witches," Freddy deadpanned, huffing when Alfred simply grinned at him. Mike decided to change the subject.

"So were you and Chickee, um… you know-"

"I'm gonna cut you off right there, Mike," Alfred quickly interrupted, laughing a bit. "Chickee was only fifteen back then, trust me, there was nothin' goin' on between us."

"I believe you," Mike assured with a nod. "Sounds pretty complicated," he added to all three bears, who all nodded slightly.

"We never really _hid_ anythin'," Freddy added awkwardly. "We just never offered nothin'. Foxy and us, we had an unspoken "ya don't ask us and we don't ask you" agreement."

"I know," Mike nodded. "He mentioned. But I had no idea it'd be something like that."

"Ya know, Foxy never exactly explained your pasts to us," Goldie mentioned, fidgeting with his hat. "All we know is he knew ya when ya were a kid."

"Oh, that?" Mike grinned a bit, though it was strained. "You met Foxy after he ran away from Myrland. You know, that small port town Foxy kidnapped me from. He told Freddy when we first met, he used to live there. He only lived there… I don't remember, two years? When I was six is when his family moved in. He's pretty much my earliest memory now, actually… But I used to come for his stories until I found him looking really sad and alone, staring out at sea. I decided to talk to him and somehow we became friends, even though he was… what… fifteen? But yeah. You know. Then my family got the Sickness."

Goldie flinched, though Mike was pretty sure the twins had already known this part of the story.

"All of my siblings got it from my parents but it left me untouched. Foxy didn't know that, though. I was quarantined for like… a year. Foxy thought I was dead so he left. I guess my… Power, or whatever, saved me," Mike finished with a sigh and a shrug. "I didn't know he left. I thought he died, too."

"Ya lost your entire family to the Sickness?" Alfred asked, frowning. Mike nodded. "That sounds horrible."

"I don't know if my siblings had it, but I understand why it was assumed," Mike told them, glancing out towards the water. He was frowning, remembering. It was hard to call up the memories- he was only nine when he was released- but he could remember their pain-filled cries, their little voices begging for someone who would never come to help them. "That's when the whispers of _witch-boy_ really began, I think."

"Because no one survives the Sickness," Freddy concluded with a sigh. Mike nodded. "I guess in Myrland they don't do witch hangin's, huh?"

"They don't," Mike confirmed. "Thankfully, else I'd probably be dead now."

"Frightening thought," Goldie drawled, though as he did he looked at the ship around them. "Of course, considerin' we all could die any minute on a pirate ship…"

The brothers snorted as Mike rolled his eyes. "Well I would've been dead _before_ Foxy found me," he retorted, lifting his hands up to form another ball of light. Goldie eyed it warily.

"Geez, it'll be nice when this whole magic thing blows over," the golden bear stated, frowning. "It's really unnerving."

"You only say that because Freddy set you on fire twice."

"Ya say that as though that _isn't_ s'posed to unnerve me."

"Five gold pieces to say Goldie's gonna fall in love with a witch," Alfred not-very-quietly mock-whispered to Freddy.

"I'm not makin' that bet," Freddy laughed, ignoring Goldie's indignant huff. "I need my gold y'know."

"I am _not_ gonna fall in love with a witch, dammit guys," Goldie huffed, rolling his eyes. "Magic is stupidly dangerous and I don't wanna get caught on fire every day for the rest of my life."

"Wanna put your money where your mouth is?" Mike asked jokingly, earning a grin from Freddy and the youngest brother.

"Traitor," Goldie whined, giving Mike a glare.

"Hey, I _am_ a witch, too, y'know," Mike laughed, adding jokingly, "Witches stick together."

"Traitor," he repeated. "And y'know what? Sure, I'll make that bet. I _won't_ fall in love with a witch. I'll even bet you _each_ five gold pieces I won't!"

"Ya realize it could possibly be years before any of us win that bet, right?" Alfred asked Freddy and Mike, both of whom simply shrugged.

"Until he falls in love, I guess," Mike said.

"If," Goldie huffed, sticking his tongue out. "Anyway, I think I'm gonna turn in before Bonnie hunts me down."

"Seeya later, Goldie," the three witches chorused, watching as the golden bear climbed to his feet and made his way inside, towards the infirmary where he was being made to spend his nights.

"How far are the Cathan Islands?" Mike asked the blue-eyed brothers, turning his gaze to them.

"Not too far. Northwest of Tralago," Freddy answered. "About three weeks, weather permittin'."

"Here's to hopin' it permits," Alfred added. "Storms while out at sea are the worst."

"We haven't been through any so far as I've been here," Mike mused aloud, staring into his bright blue ball of light.

"Now you've done jinxed us, Michael," Freddy chuckled, letting his own light fizzle out and leaving Mike's as the only one remaining to illuminate them all. "It is strange how calm the seas have been these past few months, though…"

"Probably an omen, knowin' our luck," Alfred muttered, watching Mike's light fade. He summoned his own ball of light, the speed at which it appeared, its brightness and the lack of fire hazard sparks indicating that he had, in fact, been practicing longer than Mike and Freddy had. "Nothin's been goin' right, after all."

"Well, let's just hope for the best," Mike sighed, leaning back and looking up at the sky. He could see hints of stars through the magic and the deck lights. "I think I'm gonna turn in too. Seeya in the morning, guys."

"Goodnight, Mike."


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N**: Sorry for the delay everyone, I was so tired I forgot I already had this chapter ready haha. Well, enjoy. I'm sorry if it's not up to par, lately I've been really tired mentally, physically, and emotionally so sorry if it's not what you were hoping for.

Warning: There is an F-bomb in this chapter.

* * *

It had been two weeks since they left Tralago and the winds seemed to be in their favor, as Bonzai and Odie announced that they were only four days outside of the Cathan Islands if the pattern persisted. This had brightened the crews' moods, so the night had been filled with cheer for the first time since the New Year… granted, that wasn't saying much considering it had been hardly a month since the New Year began, but that was beside the point. There was a celebration, though no one got drunk and there was less dancing, and when Mike climbed into his hammock that night, Jeremy right above him and Fritz to his right, he fell asleep before he even got comfortable.

When Mike opened his eyes, feeling furry hands shaking him, he notices that it's still pitch black, the only light filtering in through the grate above from the deck lamps. It was deathly still and the only sounds were the soft and not-so-soft snores of crewmembers, and in the dim light filtering through Mike could make out the silhouette of a bear. He couldn't tell which one it was.

"Mike, get up," the bear whispered and Mike realized it was Goldie. Strange, he was sure Goldie said he would be spending the night in the crow's nest… "No, Mike, don't fall asleep again, I need to talk to ya."

"Whazzit…?" Mike groaned softly, sitting up in his hammock. "Goldie, wha…?"

"Come up with me so we can talk, please," he continued whispering, and from somewhere nearby Mike could hear a snort and shifting. _Oh._

As quietly as he could, Mike slipped out of his hammock and picked his boots up, sleepily following the quiet bear up the steps up onto deck. Had it been anyone but Goldie or their other friends Mike would have been extremely uneasy about this, but it _was_ Goldie and he trusted Goldie, so when he stepped out into the chilled night air he didn't concern himself with being paranoid. Quickly he slid his boots on, blinking in the hazy lamplight and looking at Goldie.

He became worried, however, when he saw the expression on Goldie's face. "What's wrong, Goldie?" He asked, keeping his voice quiet.

"There's someone walkin' 'round the ship and I don't recognize 'em," Goldie whispered, pressing a finger to his lips in the universal "be quiet" sign. "I didn't want'cha down there alone and defenseless with a bunch o' sleepin' people. Come on, let's get to the nest, jus' in case. And take your boots back off, we don't wanna make too much sound."

It took the human a moment to realize Goldie wasn't wearing his own boots, which would explain how he managed to be so quiet. Mike did as he was told, sliding his boots back off and hurrying after Goldie with them in his arms, his dirty socks making no more than a hushed whisper against the wooden floor. Goldie looked really on edge, glancing around before he quickly began climbing the mast. Realizing he couldn't climb with the boots in his arm, Mike quickly stashed them out of sight behind barrels and then went to follow, grimacing as the metal "ladder" dug into his feet but making no sound.

When he reached the nest, Goldie reached down and pulled him up, hushing him from making any protests and forcing him to stay ducked down. Then he peeked over the nest's wall, his eyes apparently following something on deck.

Mike, deciding he would _not_ be pushed around- in his tired state, not really understanding the severity of the situation- got up to his knees to look down as well, his bleary eyes scanning the deck. It took him a moment to find what Goldie was looking at but when he did, he frowned.

"It's that lion," he mumbled, recognizing the burnt-orange mane. It was the lion who had taken him to Foxy after that first battle he was involved in. "Goldie, what do you mean you don't recognize him?"

"Shh, Mike," Goldie hissed, watching the lion look around. He pulled Mike down with himself just before the lion looked up towards the next, Goldie able to predict the move. "I mean I don't remember seein' him before all this mess began," Goldie explained, his voice dropping even lower. "And even then I don't remember him ever havin' permissions to go into the weaponry vault…"

"Weaponry vault?" Mike's eyes widened slightly. Wulfric was still in Tralago, recovering from his wounds under the care of Bonnie's second-in-command doctor, and was unable to perform his duties as Weapons Master. Mike had seen the lion a few times in the past two weeks with the weapons… he had just assumed he was the acting Weapons Master in Wulfric's place. "You mean he doesn't work with Wulfric?"

"No. I checked, trust me, he's not s'posed to even have the key to the weapons vault," Goldie answered, peeking over the nest's wall again. Mike was feeling much more awake now that he realized something was very, very wrong. Goldie's sharp intake of breath only served to make him more worried. "He's goin' into Foxy's cabin…!"

"What? How does he have _that_ key?!" Mike yelped, slapping his hands over his mouth. Goldie ducked down quickly; evidently the lion had heard the yelp. "Freddy's the only other person with a master key set, right?" He asked much more softly, Goldie nodding the confirmation.

"We need to stop him, he's carryin' a fuckin' _rifle_ into Foxy's cabin," Goldie hissed, without warning jumping up and climbing over the nest's wall, using the rigging to climb down much faster than he could on the ladder.

Mike decided he'd take that chance, too, quickly climbing up on the edge and telling himself to not look down. He mimicked the golden bear's actions, though quite a bit slower and going for ropes much closer to himself, and he managed to make it safely down, dropping from a low rope onto the deck. Goldie was already at the captain's cabin, his sword unsheathed, and Mike as quickly and quietly as possible ran over to him, sliding on his socks. The golden bear glanced at him and pulled a pistol out, shoving it into his hand, and the two peeked into Foxy's open door.

The lion was looking around the darkened cabin, seeming intrigued by whatever had caught his attention, before he finally turned in the direction of the bed and raised the rifle. Goldie had seen enough; faster than Mike thought the bear could move, Goldie was in the cabin and in front of the lion, the rifle clattering to the floor as the lion shrieked in surprise and pain, his arm sliced open near the wrist and blood pouring out, dripping into a puddle on the floor.

The shriek, of course, caused the Vulpine captain to shoot up in bed with a cry of his own. Mike watched as Foxy quickly analyzed the scene; Goldie, sword held up and back to him, standing between Foxy and the lion, the lion with blood pouring down his arm and coating the rifle on the floor. Immediately he leapt out of bed, snatching his own pistol off of his side table, but the lion instead unsheathed his claws and jerked forward and shoved Goldie away, ignoring the way the blade sliced into his side, and jumped at Foxy.

Simultaneously two pistols went off; one hit the lion in the head from the side and the other in the heart from in front. The lion dropped down, eyes dulled and unseeing as he smashed into the floor, blood seeping out of his wounds as his heart struggled to keep the dead man's blood flowing. Foxy's head snapped over to Mike and Mike watched the lion with wide eyes before looking up to meet Foxy's. The mixture of the shriek of pain from the lion and the two gunshots was enough to alert the other pirates that something was _very_ wrong. Mike could hear them rushing up from below and the on-duty guards hurrying to see what the hell had happened under their noses.

Goldie picked himself up off of the floor, snarling at the dead lion. "Damned cat," he cursed, picking his blade up.

"What the _hell_ just happened?" Foxy demanded, lowering his pistol as he looked between the bear, human, and the dead lion.

"Looks like you were almost shot with a rifle," Mike explained, his voice very faint as he let his own hand holding Goldie's pistol drop to his side. "Goldie managed to stop him from shooting."

"What's goin' on?" Another voice demanded and Mike stepped aside to allow Freddy in. Freddy froze when he saw the dead lion on the floor, the blood-covered rifle at the foot of Foxy's bed. "What… the hell?"

"Foxy got attacked," Goldie deadpanned. "Freddy, where's your master keyset?"

"In my cabin, o'course," Freddy answered, furrowing his brow. "Ya think Larry stole my master keys?"

"He had a key to both the weapons vault and Foxy's cabin, so either he stole yours or Foxy's," Goldie sighed, looking over at his captain. "Unless he stole 'em while we were in Tralago and had copies made…"

"Larry stayed on the ship at Tralago, didn't he?" Foxy asked his first mate, who nodded a confirmation. "And… ye left your master keys in your cabin, huh?"

"I… did. But my cabin is always locked, you and I are the only ones with those keys," Freddy mumbled, frowning in concentration. "Unless he managed t' nick it off'a me 'fore we went ashore…"

"Is he one of Corcran's?" Goldie interrupted, looking in displeasure at the lion.

"Probably," Foxy sighed, running a hand through his bed-mussed fur. He looked towards the door and scowled. "Off wit' ye lot," he commanded and most of the crew that had gathered there scurried away, leaving only a concerned Bonnie and Chica and Marion… who still wore his mask and cloak.

Bonnie squeezed past Mike and Freddy, pausing at the sight of the dead Animal. "Oh…" He sighed and rubbed his hand across his face. "Okay. Okay. I'll… I'll get a tarp," he decided, turning around and heading right back out. Mike knew very well he wasn't disturbed by the dead; Mike was pretty sure it was the rifle covered in blood that concerned the rabbit.

"I'll get a mop," Chica added, worry tinging her voice for the first time since Mike had met her. Well, as far as he knew, anyway. She hurried off, probably to get the mop from the galley, and Mike turned his gaze to Foxy.

Foxy was rubbing his forehead and then shook his head. "Okay," he started, looking at the twins and Mike. "Now that this be over, lads, let's not mention this again. Thank ye, Golden 'nd Mikey, fer comin' to help me, but we need t' clean this up. You two jus'... go clean your sword, Golden."

Mike had a feeling Foxy didn't want Mike to see this scene. He wanted to protest but Foxy just looked so _tired_. Of course, he had just been betrayed by one of his own men…

Similarly to how Captain Clawfoot was murdered.

The puzzle pieces falling into place, Mike simply nodded and followed Goldie out. "That was… terrifying," Mike mumbled, glancing at his golden-furred friend.

"Yet so familiar," Goldie added, sighing. "I'll be back, Mike. I'm gonna, y'know… clean my sword. It's not that messy, but… still." Mike nodded and watched the bear walk away. He barely noticed, in the hazy light, that there was blood staining the golden bear's feet. He turned away and headed towards the bow of the ship, wanting to get away from the sounds of Freddy and Foxy's murmurings, and leaned against the rail with a sigh of his own.

There was no way he would get to sleep that night, so instead he stared at the lights reflecting off of the water's surface, shifting with the waves. He ignored the soft footsteps approaching him, figuring if they wished to talk they would make themselves announced.

It was several silent moments before Marion spoke. "You seem tense."

"Yeah, well, my childhood best friend who also happens to be my current best friend _and_ captain just almost got killed. I think I have a right to be tense," Mike stated matter-of-factly, staring intensely at the water.

"Yes, you do have that right," Marion agreed, still standing behind him. "It is how anyone would react when the person they love is in danger."

Mike was silent for a few moments before glancing at the masked captain. "... Love? I don't… _love_ him."

"Love comes in many shapes, Mr. Schmidt," the cloaked man told him wisely. "How you love him is up to you to decide, but you cannot deny that you do. If you did not you would not be out here worrying."

"I don't get it. Isn't love a one-size-fits-all kind of thing?" Mike asked, turning to look at Marion. "Like… you can't change the definition."

"Love is a strong emotional bond," Marion explained, shaking his head at Mike's naivety. "There are different types and not everyone loves the same. There is the love between friends, such as Foxy and Freddy. There is the love between siblings, such as Freddy and Alfred. There is the love of a parent and a child. And then there is the deeper, more painful love between lovers, the scales of which are so wide it is impossible to measure."

Mike listened with a soft frown, his brow furrowed in confusion. "It's only natural to care about your friends but would you really call that a form of love?" He questioned, looking back at the ocean. Marion chuckled.

"Michael Schmidt, you would die for Foxy, would you not? You would die for Freddy, Goldie, Chica, and Bonnie too, would you not?" Mike hesitated and thought of the way he had run out in the middle of a pirate battle all those weeks- months?- ago. Yes. Yes, he _would_ die for his friends.

_Especially_ Foxy.

When the dark-haired man nodded, Marion continued speaking. "Then you do not simply _care_ for your friends. Caring for your friends means you will help them when they need it. Loving your friends means you would do anything for them. Someone who just _cares_ would not lay down their life."

This made no sense to Mike. He continued staring at the waves, wondering if there was a magic strong enough to move them. To turn them tumultuous with one thought, or calm them with a simple wave of the hand... he shook the short tangent off and furrowed his brow, thinking about the captain's words. "But how do you tell the difference between those kinds of love?"

"By how much it hurts," was the simple answer he got. That _really_ made no sense, but when Mike turned around to ask what that was supposed to mean, the other man was gone.

"How much it hurts?" He repeated quietly to himself, his brows drawing together in confusion. By how much it hurts? Of course it'd hurt to lose your friends. It'd hurt worse to lose your parents or siblings, Mike knew that firsthand. It would always hurt to lose someone.

Then he thought about what would have happened if he had lost Foxy _again_. If he had to witness the red fox staring lifelessly up at the ceiling- or even with his eyes closed, looking as though he was simply sleeping. He imagined what would have happened if Goldie had been two seconds too late to realize what was going on or if the eagle-eyed bear had failed to notice the lion walking around suspiciously.

He would have been destroyed. Simply _thinking_ about it hurt him- _physically_. His heart clenched, sending a sharp pain through his chest and down his arms and spine, and he gasped, grasping the rail tightly as he stared, wide-eyed, out at the water. The pain was bad enough that he wanted to cry but there was no way he could. It was weird- the _physical_ response the thought gave him, it was the worst pain he had ever felt and he was _sure_ of that.

Was _that_ the pain of losing a friend? He tried to imagine Freddy or Goldie or even sweet Bonnie in Foxy's place, but the image in his mind remained unchanged- all he could see was Foxy, laying there covered in his own blood, looking like he was just sleeping peacefully. Was it the pain of losing a friend you love?

Or was it… the pain of losing something more than a friend?

Mike didn't know but he didn't like it. He closed his eyes and released the rail, turning away and thinking of _anything_ else. The image, though, wouldn't leave him. It was like a plague, clinging to his mind's eye, and nothing he thought or did would get rid of it. _Oh god, what if I just imagined everything that just happened and that image is real? Oh god, god, what if Foxy's dead and that image is reality and this is just a dream? That's why I can't unsee it, it's real, it's-_

"Mikey?"

Startled by the sudden interruption, Mike's icy eyes flew open, gasping softly in surprise. Foxy stood in front of him, brow furrowed in concern, fully dressed and his fur neatly brushed and very much so alive. "Are you alright, Mike?" He asked, reaching out a hand and placing it softly on Mike's shoulder and it felt so real that Mike just knew it wasn't a dream. Relief flooded through him and the image slowly faded from his mind's eye.

Without hesitation, Mike threw himself at the older fox, wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug. Foxy's eyes widened in surprise but, upon noticing his friend was trembling, he returned the younger man's hug, lightly stroking his hair in a way he knew at least used to help calm Mike when he was a kid.

Although Mike was no longer a kid, it seemed to work. The dark-haired human's trembling lessened, soon leaving the fox and the human in the quiet night.

"It's alright, Mikey," Foxy assured him once the trembling was gone. "None of us are hurt and you and Goldie got there just in time. Everyone's okay, I'm not dead, everything will be fine..."

And Mike knew it was true.


	15. Chapter 14

**A/N**: Since my last chapter was so late, I figured I'd go ahead and update again!

* * *

The air was much more subdued the next few days despite the constant shining of the sun, the nights spent sitting awake and casting wary glances around. When they reached the Cathan Islands, there were no celebratory shouts and cheers. Instead, the entire crew was completely silent. There was tension on the ship that only grew; no one knew if they could trust each other.

Now Foxy never let his human charge out of his sight. Wherever Mike was Foxy was sure to be, and wherever Foxy was Mike was sure to be. Almost immediately after what had happened, Foxy had put his foot down and made his old friend move his belongings into his cabin, no longer trusting Mike to sleep unguarded with the rest of the crew. This time Mike had offered no resistance, complying without complaint, which told everyone exactly how both the captain and the human were feeling.

Like they couldn't trust anyone but their closest friends.

No one spoke or complained as Foxy left for the small island chains with a select few of the crew, the select few everyone knew he would take with him.

Mike, Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, Goldie, Marion and Marion's officers Jeremy, Alfred, Chickee, Bonzai, Mangle, and Fritz.

They took two rowboats, one crew to each, and left only one command for the rest of the crew; go to the Cathan port and stock up the ship. The silence continued on as they did as they were told, Chyna taking up her post as third in command.

When they were a fair distance from the ship, Mike felt himself relaxing. He was sitting between Foxy and Freddy, both of whom were rowing, and across from Bonnie. None of them spoke, but the tension definitely faded the further from the _Vixen_ they got and the closer to the small, woods-covered island.

Goldie and Chica both leapt out of the rowboat when the water became shallow enough and tugged the boat onto shore, Alfred and Mangle doing the same with the _Dreamshade_ crew's boat, and they all helped secure the boats once on shore.

Mike looked towards the woods, a small frown on his face. "This is the last known location of this guy?" He questioned, his eyes scanning the treeline.

"Aye. He lived in th' middle of the woods. Cathan locals stay 'way from this island due to superstition, 'nd th' fact that the trees bear no fruit 'nd there be no wildlife," Foxy explained, turning to look at the woods himself. "Th' lad's probably long gone, o'course, probably packed up and moved th' moment we were outta sight. C'mon, this way."

"I don't like this," Goldie muttered, glancing around as they entered the woods. Immediately the canopy above, thin as it was, dimmed the lighting, casting the illusion of twilight. "I'm startin' to wish I stayed on the ship again…"

"No ya don't," Freddy countered, walking confidently along the overgrown trail. "Ya'd feel really uncomfortable and paranoid there."

"True, but I feel that way here too."

Mike tuned out the brothers' argument, instead focusing on his surroundings. He could see why people would think this place haunted or whatever; the trees, though they were thin, were tall and dark and there seemed to be a natural, light fog settled on the ground. The canopy filtered in very little light, despite how thin it was, making midday appear very… well… late noon, early evening. The shadows cast by the trees and the bare twigs that may have once been bushes were almost pitch black, every nook and cranny in the ground looking like a deep hole that extended forever.

A shiver made its way up his spine, realizing that the path they were on was just that… a path, purposefully made and not often traveled. It was overgrown and covered in leaves, but it cut straight through the woods. Eventually, though, Foxy led them off of the beaten path onto a much less used, less obvious path, and the only reason Mike knew it was a path at all was the fact that there were subtle markers carved into the trees.

As they continued walking deeper, the shadows somehow only grew darker and the light dimmer as the trees grew thicker together and the silence became suffocating. No birds sang, no bugs buzzed, nothing. It was all perfectly still, perfectly silent, perfectly… lifeless.

"Who would choose to live in a place like this?" Mike whispered, though his voice seemed to echo through the empty woods for forever.

"If'n ye want t' hide from the world, ye'd come t' a place the world won't look. A place like this," Foxy answered quietly, pushing his way past branches and holding them back for his followers. Mike slipped past him without another word.

Mike nearly froze when he saw what lay ahead of him at the end of the path. It was a shack of a house that may have once passed for a cabin, falling apart and obviously abandoned in the middle of a small clearing. Tree trunks were scattered around from cut trees, one of which looking as though it had been used as a chopping block. What might have once been a piece of split wood and an axe were still sitting on top of it, rotting and rusting in their exposure to the elements. What looked like an overgrown, wild vegetable garden wrapping around the back and side of the shack- cabin?- had long since stopped bearing its fruit, now just a mess of vines, thorns and leaves overtaking the clearing. Saplings grew randomly and a young tree looked like it was trying to grow through the house. The front door was wide open and connected to the house by one single rusted hinge.

It looked like a horror scenario.

Quickly regaining his senses, he hurried after Foxy and the others. Bonnie and Chica looked uncomfortable and Goldie looked downright frightened, and Marion's crew looked uneasy, but Freddy and Foxy walked right into the shack with absolute confidence. Steeling his resolve, Mike followed suit.

The smell of rotting wood was the first thing that hit him as he entered the shack. He wrinkled his nose and looked around, noticing that the shack was one large room with the exception of what was probably once a loft on the far side, where a pile of rotted wood and old fabric and metal lay in a heap of destruction. To the left of the entrance was what looked like the remains of a kitchen, an old woodstove left abandoned with something old and long-since inedible still sitting on top, degraded to a point where it was unrecognizable. If he had to guess, Mike would say it was a loaf of bread based on its shape. He switched his gaze in the opposite direction; to the right of the entrance was a bookshelf overflowing with ancient, dusty, now-moldy and rain-ruined books.

Sitting near the bookshelf, facing the tomes with its back to the rest of the shack, was a faded green chair worn with time and water damage. It looked as though once upon a time it had been a deep emerald colour.

Mike assumed that whatever had been under the loft had been where the food was stored and eaten, but he couldn't really be sure since it was a disaster zone over there.

"Wow," Goldie breathed from next to him, gazing around with wide eyes. "He sure did leave in a hurry, huh…"

"I wonder why he left like this," Freddy mused, not-so-subtly covering his nose to ward off the smell of rot and decay. "We had only just left, he'd've had plenty o' time t' pack."

"Knowin' that ol' boy he probably thought th' faster 'e got out, th' better," Foxy told them, walking through the room and looking around. His eyes trained on Chica. "Lass, still think there ain't likely t' be clues 'ere? 'E left in such a hurry, he probably forgot somethin'."

"That's where Goldie's eagle-eyes come in, yeah?" Freddy guessed and Foxy nodded.

"Well if I can find anythin' in this mess," Goldie sighed, looking around at the dilapidated, sad little shack that may have once been a nice one-room cabin. "So much shit's probably been buried or rotted."

"Jus' look 'round 'nd see if ye find anythin'," Foxy told him, beginning his own search. Mike made his way through the shack to the collapsed loft, looking at the old bed he could see through the wood. It had been a spring mattress, he could tell, something that was pretty rare and considered overall rather uncomfortable. The springs had long since torn through the old, damaged fabric of the mattress, rusted into a colour that almost looked like bloodstains. The wood of the bedframe was indistinguishable from the floor, equally blackened and rotted from the leaking roof above. Another glance around showed that there were no pictures on the walls or on the floor or anything to indicate there ever was.

How was anyone going to find any clues in this mess? Everything was either damaged beyond recognition or destroyed by nature.

Just as this thought went through Mike's mind, Goldie called, "Open book on a table, there's a map on it."

He blinked and turned around, making his way over to Goldie, and spotted the table next to the green chair. It was low and had been hidden from sight from the doorway; it was made of some kind of stone, too, so it was relatively undamaged. The book on top, however, was definitely damaged beyond repair; although the chair seemed to have protected it from the wind from the open door, the page was splotched and yellowed beyond recognition from both water damage and age. How Goldie even determined it was a map was beyond Mike's understanding.

"How do you know it's a map?" He voiced, watching as Goldie pointed to something on the damaged page, letting his finger hover just above the book as though he didn't dare actually touch it. Mike didn't blame him; he'd worry about it falling apart.

"Look. If ya look closely you can see the outline of an island. It looks like…" Goldie's finger began tracing the line that Mike couldn't see, hesitating in spots where the damage was extreme and the page completely blotted out to the point even his sharp eyes couldn't pick up on the subtle lines. He took his best guess, connecting the lines that he could see, brow furrowed in concentration as Mike and the others watched him. "Tondoran…"

"Tondoran?" Mike blinked, not recognizing the name. He was a bit impressed that Goldie could guess it based on an outline he wasn't one-hundred percent sure about but he, being from Myrland where the most they heard about were neighboring port towns and Thonsborough, was completely lost.

"It be a volcanic island," Foxy informed Mike with a slight frown. "It's right off'a the coast of Meldoran. Golden, ye be sure it be Tondoran?"

"I know very few islands that have a giant lake in the very center, Foxy." As the bear said that, he moved his finger to the center of the page where there was a very slightly different coloration. Mike's eyes could just barely pick up on it.

"How does a volcanic island have a lake in the center?" Mike questioned, frowning down at the ruined map.

"The volcano's last eruption caused the volcano to fall in on itself and water surroundin' it rushed in to fill the hole," Freddy answered for his captain and his brother. "That place is usually avoided, what with the noxious gases and all…"

"That means it's the perfect place for someone who is literally immortal to hide out," Bonzai suddenly stated, startling Mike. He had almost forgotten that they were there, they had been so quiet. "If people avoid it because they could get killed, then an isolationist who _can't_ be killed would totally go there. It makes perfect sense!" The blue rabbit paused and frowned, a thoughtful look crossing his features. "But, um… none of _us_ are immortal, the air itself there could hurt us..."

"Unfortunately th' lad's right. Let's keep lookin' a bit longer, if we can't find nothin' else we'll make our way to Tondoran," Foxy sighed, pulling his hat off to muss up his fur as he usually did when frustrated. "We'll 'ave t' risk it."

"Wonderful," Chica huffed, leaning over to eye the book. "Just what I always wanted, to die from suffocation on a stupid island."

"Don't be so melodramatic, it won't suffocate us," Freddy admonished softly, though Mike noticed he didn't sound very confident.

"It'll just eat at our lungs, fill them with holes and render them useless," Bonnie deadpanned, crossing his arms and frowning at Freddy and Foxy. Mike winced slightly. That didn't sound pleasant at all. "We can't go there without proper protection, Foxy. We'll get really badly hurt if we do and lung damage isn't something that can be fixed easily."

Mike had never heard the rabbit be so assertive, but then again he _was_ a doctor. People's health was sort of a doctor's priority…

"Aye, you're right too," Foxy agreed. "We'll need t' find some way t' protect ourselves from th' air. Fer now, though, let's search s'more."

"If he left so suddenly that his home looks like this," the smaller chicken started, looking around at the collapsing shack, "then I doubt he did any more plannin' than pullin' out a map and gettin' the hell out o' here, Captains. Looks like he didn't even pack anythin'!"

"He did leave suddenly enough that he left something on the stove," Mangle added, gesturing in the general direction of the woodstove and the unidentifiable mass on it.

"I remember that," Freddy mumbled, his eyes roaming to the stove. "Captain Clawfoot spent nearly twenty minutes just talkin' the boy into lettin' us inside to talk to 'im. When he finally did let us inside, we found out he'd been bakin' before we interrupted. That had been a surprise," he added with a chuckle, shaking his head. "He never did answer why he eats when he doesn't need to."

"Li'l pleasures, Freddy, li'l pleasures," Goldie tutted, frowning as he regarded the shack. "I mean, I'd probably still want somethin' from my life if I were in his shoes, y'know?"

"He didn't answer anything, Freddy," Chica snorted, sifting through some abandoned knick-knacks on a shelf. "All he did was tell us yes, Time's End Cove is real and yes, the stories about the dead being brought back to life are true."

"Well, we'll need t' convince th' lad t' tell us everythin' when we find 'im," Foxy declared, poking around the collapsed loft's rubble. "If we're lucky we can even convince 'im t' take us there instead o' jus' tellin' us how t' get there."

"If he's willing to even do that."

"Miss pessimistic, we'll get him to talk," Chickee stated matter-of-factly, picking up a book that looked way too big for someone of her frame to comfortably hold. Oddly enough, the book was in a careful plastic covering, which the chicken slid off and dropped to the ground. Securing the preserved book in her arms, she opened to the center pages… and something slipped out.

Blinking, Chickee set the book back down on the shelf, the page still open, and knelt down, picking the faded paper up off of the floor. "A wanted poster?"

Foxy's ears perked and he made his way over to the chicken, the others following. He looked over her shoulder and frowned.

It was a wanted poster from the year 2319, faded but preserved inside the covered book's pages. It was, of course, a detailed drawing of a rabbit with long, fluffy ears, sharp eyes, and a dangerous, cocky smirk across his face. A captain's hat lay askew on his head. The colours were too faded for him to determine anything, but he did recognize the name.

Printed in large, blocky letters under the "WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE" was the name SPRINGTRAP, a bounty of several thousand gold pieces on his head. Foxy didn't recognize the rabbit in the picture; he was so different from the Springtrap he had met ten years before that part of him simply couldn't comprehend that _that_ was pre-Revival Springtrap. He didn't even carry the same air.

"This guy can't be more than twenty, how did he rack up such a high bounty?" Chickee questioned, frowning as she looked at the picture and the details.

"Back in those days pirates started young, lass," Foxy informed her. "Not that it ain't th' same these days; ye started young yeself."

He turned away from the wanted poster to look at the book, open still to the page that the poster had fallen out of. It was a list, though Foxy couldn't read the symbols it was written in. From the looks of it, it was a list of names ending with certain dates ranging from the early 2300's to the late 2300's. One name in particular was circled with faded ink. Foxy traced the symbols, dedicating them to memory. Another one was scratched out, rendering the symbols unreadable; written after the presumed-name in large, blocky, capital letters was WRONG.

"This is kinda creepy, actually," Goldie muttered, running a hand across the spines of the old books. Mike realized, suddenly, that _none_ of the books were in English. They were all in the strange blocky symbols. "I can't read any of them."

"This is the language from Mardok," Freddy noted, his eyes scanning over the symbols.

"Mardok?" Mike questioned while the others just nodded in understanding.

"It was a city along an arctic coastline," Alfred was the one who answered, his eyes scanning the floorboards by the shelf. "They had their own language, since they were so big and alone, but English was practiced there, too, since they needed it for trade. It was wiped out by pirates about, I dunno, a hundred and ten years ago?"

"Completely wiped out?" Mike had known pirates to raid and pillage and destroy towns, but wipe one out completely?

"Aye, lef' no survivors, they did," Foxy confirmed, looking up from the strange symbols. "Well, supposedly. Likely someone survived."

"Why are books from… Mardok here?"

"Likely th' Revived lad was from there," Foxy dismissed easily enough, turning his attention elsewhere. "Certainly old enough. Would'a been destroyed after 'e left to become a pirate."

Mike frowned and stared at the symbols curiously. "Why would he just leave these here to get ruined?"

"They'd've been ruined no matter where they were left," Chica dismissed indifferently, pulling something out from behind one of the shelves. It was an old sword with an ornate, silver hilt. The sheath was on but Chica unsheathed it to look at the blade that still gleamed in the dull light filtering through the window. It was still shining and sharp. "This is a nice sword. Crazy to leave it behind."

"Probably jus' a reminder o' somethin' th' lad would rather forget," Foxy suggested. "Bring it wit' us, if th' lad comes wit' us 'e'll need 'is weapon." Chica nodded and re-sheathed the sword, holding it in her hands.

"I don't think we're gonna find anything else, Foxy," Goldie sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Let's just go to the markets and get some gear and head to Tondoran, see if he's there."

Foxy nodded in agreement. "We got a lead, let's head out. Th' smell o' rot is gettin' t' me."

"Thank goodness," Mike muttered, following the pirates as they headed out of the house. He paused and looked back, noticing Foxy picking up the book, sliding the poster back into place before closing it. Foxy looked up and gave the icy-eyed man a grin.

"Figure this migh' come in handy later," he answered the unasked question, heading out with the large book in his arms. "There's gotta be a reason this be th' only book preserved. If we be gettin' our answers from th' Revived this time, then I wan' t' ask 'im wha' this book be.

"This time we be gettin' _all_ our questions answered."


	16. Chapter 15

**A/N**: Sorry for the delay, something happened recently that required my attention, but here we go!

* * *

Mike peeked over Foxy's shoulder at the large book now sitting, open, on his deep red desk, the age-worn pages covered in the strange symbols of Mardok. Neither of them had any idea whatsoever what any of the symbols meant but they had found that the book was… most likely some kind of history book, as there were pages and pages of paragraphs as well as diagrams, paintings, and then, of course, the lists of presumed names and dates. On most pages there were underlined or circled sections, notes made in both English and this strange symbol language, the strokes making it clear they were written by the same person. Most of the English words were simply "wrong" or "no" and it was almost humorous... if only they could read what was wrong in the first place.

'_Looks like Foxy wasn't far off the mark when he suggested that the Revived was from Mardok.'_

They were currently in port where Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, Chickee, Marion, and Alfred were all ashore, locating someone who could craft them protective gear. Bonzai had suggested heading back to Tralago, since they knew where the crafters were there, but the Cathan Islands were much closer to Tondoran than Tralago so they decided that would be a last-ditch solution if they couldn't find a crafter in Cathan.

Foxy and Mike stayed onboard with the rest of the crew, locked away in the cabin and looking through the book. Mike was leaning on the back of Foxy's chair to look over his shoulder and see the book.

The page they were on right then, however, didn't have any symbols on the page. Instead there was a picture spread out on the two pages of a ship on the ocean. It wasn't nearly as magnificent as _The Crimson Vixen_ or even _The Dreamshade_, but it was quite formidable, the way it was painted contrasting harshly against a brightly-lit sky, its Jolly Roger standing out against the white clouds behind.

"Is this a history on piracy?" Mike suddenly asked, tilting his head slightly as he gazed at the painting. "Far as I've seen, all of the paintings have been like this…"

"I startin' t' think so too," Foxy admitted, running his furry fingers across the page. Mike's eyes were drawn to the English words, written in the white margin between the picture's edge and the paper's edge.

"_Silent Dusk_," He read, frowning. "What does that even mean?"

"Oh," Foxy breathed, grinning slightly. "_The Silent Dusk_ is a ship, famous in tales. Ship o' the most famous pirate captain since Scrawlbeard and 'fore Corcran. Well, actually, probably still more famous'n Corcran. Ship 'nd th' whole crew dis'peared wit' no trace." He paused. "Well… 'e wasn't th' most feared, really, 'ad a thing 'bout savin' damsels and children."

"More moral pirates, huh?" Mike snorted, scanning the page for any more words.

"As moral as we pirates can be," Foxy grinned, flipping the page. It was another ship, this one the writing declaring it to be _The Raging Rhino._ "Ah, that one. That one ended quite badly," Foxy laughed, shaking his head. "The captain wasn't able to swim and fell overboard in the middle of the night. Some folks claim he was pushed, of course, but that's beside the point." He flipped again to the next page, a pearl-white ship that looked almost haunted. _Ghost of Paradise._ "The vengeance-seeking pirate's ship. Anyone who wronged her died on her blade, they say- after watching their loved ones be brutalized, of course. Say she was driven insane by her childhood and her forced marriage at the tender age of fourteen. Killed her husband and children and ran off 'fore she was twenty years old."

"Wow…"

"Aye. Meetin' her was like a death sentence," Foxy sighed, shaking his head. "Poor kid." He flipped the page, pausing longer on this one. There was more writing in the margins than on the other pictures, including a long sentence that was… familiar somehow.

_Those of which who seek me need only find the key; she of joy, love, and empathy- you'll know it when you see._

"_Those of which who seek me need only find the key; man of passion, purity, power- you'll know it when you see."_

Antonio's voice echoed through his mind and he realized why the words were familiar. It was pretty much Scrawlbeard's last words, with only a little difference

"What does that mean?" Mike mumbled, staring at the words.

"It means Springtrap knew what kind of person's blood was spilt t' bring 'im back t' life, lad. I guess tha' always be th' last thought in the Cove."

"But didn't they say your key was either someone with qualities you hated or… or opposite of yourself?" Mike asked, suddenly worried about what kind of person this Springtrap was if joy, love, and empathy were qualities he either hated or lacked.

"No one really knows how Time's End Cove works, Mike," Foxy reminded him, shaking his head. "Tha' be one o' th' things we'll be askin' ol' Springy 'bout. Find out what all o' this be meanin'."

Mike was now feeling really nervous, especially as his eyes found the ship's name.

_Mercy's End._

The ship itself was dark, but not in the majestic and beautiful way that _The Crimson Vixen_ was. No, it was dark and frightening, the kind of ship that would send a port town like Myrland into a panic with its deep, age-worn wood and its dark, filthy sails. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of the ship, wondering why anyone would dare step foot on that ship of terror.

"Ah, this one," Foxy murmured, staring at the ship. "This one be quite a mystery… once ye joined th' crew, th' only way t' leave was t' die 'Cause o' that, all th' crew tha' _did_ join were crazy loyal t' their cap'n. Not many stories 'bout this'n or her crew."

"Why not?"

"Like I said, lad, none o' the crew ever got t' leave alive," Foxy explained, scanning the handwriting in the margins. "From th' few stories we do got, th' cap'n would go s'far as t' even hunt down deserters. But- 'nd remember this do be stories from second-hand sources so be takin' these wit' a grain o' salt- th' cap'n also is rumoured t' 'ave 'ad a tongue o' silver an' been a great cap'n. There were only one survivor after th' ship wen' down 'nd 'e refused t' tell the tales o' what went on on tha' ship, declarin' tha' he would do it all again if he could. Said th' cap'n was th' bes' cap'n t' sail th' seas, bes' pirate. Stuck t' 'is rules 'nd showed no mercy to 'is enemies 'nd anyone tha' got in 'is way."

"And who was the captain?" Mike asked, his eyes slipping back towards the writing at the bottom. He had a horrible feeling that he already knew. Why else would Springtrap write about his key on _that _particular page?

"Who do ye think, lad?"

The human resisted the urge to groan. "So the guy we're searching for is a Revived former pirate captain who used to kill members of his _own crew _and whose key was some joyful, loving, empathetic girl?" He asked incredulously, straightening up. "Do you realize what a _horrible_ idea this is?"

Foxy let out a barking laugh, turning in his chair to look at his human friend. "All o' us said th' same thing t' Clawfoot, lad, but when we found 'im at Cathan, 'e was… completely different than what any o' th' few tales said," Foxy assured him, turning his attention back to the page. "I dunno if it were 'cause o' 'ow much time he's spent Revived or the time spent… whatever 'appens b'tween death 'nd Revival, but th' lad we met tha' day, hm, almos' ten years ago now was one o' th' softes' 'nd mos' nervous Animals I ever did meet. Took 'im a while t' let us in 'is home but when he did he offered us drinks 'nd apologized fer not havin' more'n th' one chair- he weren't expectin' no guests, after all- 'nd though he wouldn't answer a lot o' our questions, he did confirm th' one we came specifically for. Th' meanest he got was cuttin' us off if we ever did try and bring up 'is past, sayin' some things be best left untouched. Methinks it were a wound he didn't want opened. He ain't proud o' his past actions, Mikey."

Mike listened with a slight frown, unsure of what to think. So was the Revived someone who couldn't be trusted? Or was he this nice, soft creature that Foxy said he was? "Are you sure he can be trusted?"

The fox's amber eyes trailed over to the sword lying across the table. Mike's icy ones followed the gaze. "A pirate never leaves himself unarmed, Mikey. He left his sword behind; that means something."

"If his past is painful and he gave up piracy then why are we going on the assumption that he'll be willing to help us?" Mike finally asked, sighing and running a hand through his already-messy hair. "I mean, telling us everything is one thing but all of you are hoping he'll come _with_ us to show us the way- that's practically asking him to become a pirate again, even if it's just temporary. And I'm pretty damn sure none of us can actually _make_ him come," he added.

"Aye, tha' be true," Foxy agreed with a nod, turning the page to yet another ship. All of the handwriting on this page was in the strange symbols so Mike couldn't even read the name of the ship. "None o' us can force 'im t' come. If we did, th' lad might think it fine to fight back, 'nd trus' me Mikey, ye don't fight a Revived. That be a battle ye'll never win- which is _why _he'll help us."

The dark-haired human blinked owlishly and frowned, confused. "Huh?"

"Revived are th' dead brought back t' life through whatever magic's in Time's End Cove- at least tha' be th' theory, 'nd so far it's seemed correct," Foxy added almost as an afterthought, absentmindedly twisting his hook. "Revived 'ave Power, too, Mikey, but tha' power far exceeds a witch's Power. While ye 'nd Freddy be able t' do things, ye know, like the lights 'nd makin' things explode 'nd catchin' Golden on fire 'nd things novice witches like yeselves will need years o' proper trainin' fer, a Revived wakes up wit' th' ability t' _destroy the world_. Or at leas', ye know, so the story goes."

"E-eh?" Mike sputtered, staring wide-eyed at Foxy. "Destroy the _world_?"

"Tha' jus' be th' way th' story goes," Foxy defended, lifting his hands up in a surrendering gesture. "No one knows if it be true, since no Revived 'ave ever tried t' do it. But if there be even the slightes' chance it be true, Scrawlbeard _will_ use it 'nd if Springtrap knows anythin' 'bout history, like this be suggestin' he do, he will know this."

Mike didn't know whether or not to feel better about this. On the one hand, if the story was true, as so many had turned out to be thus far, it meant that there was at least _some_ comfort in the fact that Springtrap hadn't used it yet.

On the other hand, that meant that if Springtrap decided to betray them they would all be at his mercy.

Mercy. Heh. _Mercy's End._ Ironic.

Mentally slapping himself for getting off track, Mike asked, "So he'll help us if the stories are true because Scrawlbeard _will_ destroy the world?"

"Well, we're hopin'," Foxy chuckled, flipping the page again. The next page was back to paragraphs, though it was devoid of handwriting. "Don't worry, lad, I know what I be doin'."

"I hope you do, Foxy," Mike sighed, watching him flip idly through the pages until they found the next "WRONG" scrawled, seemingly-angrily, diagonally across an entire page. "You know we'll follow your lead, Captain."

* * *

It was several days before the crewmembers ashore returned with two separate crates, which were both promptly taken to the captain's quarters and set down in a corner of the room. Bonnie was sitting, cross-legged, on the floor next to the crates, inspecting the simple-but-complex masks they had been given, checking for anything that may allow the noxious gases of Tondoran through. Foxy was on standby, waiting for the medic's approval, and Mike watched boredly from one of the chairs around the table, fiddling with a pen there and leaning on his propped hand.

"They're not perfect but they'll work," Bonnie finally decided, setting the last mask back inside the crate. "I wouldn't stay more than an hour, though, so if the talk takes too long we'll need to try and convince Springtrap to leave the island for it. At some point a significant amount of the gas will leak through, we need to leave before that happens."

"Aye, thank ye lad," Foxy thanked the medic and helped him up to his feet. "Be a friend 'nd tell Bonzai 'nd Odie t' set course west to Tondoran?" Mike almost laughed; as if a pirate captain had to _ask_.

"Aye, Captain," Bonnie laughed softly, heading out of the cabin to locate the two navigators.

"How far away is Tondoran again?" Mike asked, trying to remember. He was sure Freddy had mentioned it at some point.

"Four days," Foxy answered, "Give or take dependin' on th' weather."

"Hopefully the trend persists," Mike snorted, stretching his arms above his head. "We've been lucky thus far all things considered, maybe it'll continue that way."

"Aye, hopefully!"

It didn't.

A day after they left the Cathan Islands, _The Crimson Vixen_ found herself in a storm the likes of which Mike had never seen before. The rain pounded against the crew and the deck, soaking everyone and everything through. Mike found himself being ushered into the relative safety of Foxy's cabin, out of the way of the crew members running around. Foxy himself was at the helm keeping the ship on track, barking orders to his men while Freddy was out on deck, working with the crew and making sure everything ran smoothly.

Mike watched what he could through the pouring rain, Bonnie and Jeremy at his side. He could see silhouettes in the rigging, probably dealing with issues with the sails. He could see someone slip and fall into the ocean below. A moment of fear passed over him that it might have been Goldie or even the red-haired human Fritz but then he spotted both of them running across the deck with rope in order to secure some barrels.

He was itching to make himself useful but he knew he'd only be in the way. The rain continued pounding down outside and the ship lurched, causing Mike to lose his footing and tumble. Thankfully, due to his relatively-safe location, a wall stopped him from going overboard and Bonnie and Jeremy quickly helped him to his feet before another lurch sent all three of them down. There was shouting and screaming from overhead as a crack of thunder boomed through the air, the wind picking up and the rain only falling harder.

"Typhoon?" Bonnie suggested, looking towards Jeremy.

"Most likely," Jeremy agreed with a nod, using the wall as support to stand up again. "It's only getting worse."

"Damn forecasts can't be trusted," Mike complained, struggling to his feet. "Sunshine my ass."

"Language, Mike, you're starting to sound like Foxy," Bonnie laughed a bit, though it was uneasy and forced. He was clearly worried.

Something slammed into the door, rattling the windows set inside the door and startling the medics and Mike. They stared, wide-eyed, as more things began hitting the wall. "A rope must've snapped," Jeremy breathed, inching away from the door. One last _bang!_ sounded and the window shattered as a piece of splintered wood slid through. Mike jerked further back, eying the wood and the glass. "Yep, definitely…"

The sound of shouting and rain became louder, the rain now coming straight into the room without the glass there to stop it.

"This is the most terrifying thing I have ever experienced," Mike laughed uneasily, stumbling as the ship lurched again. Before he could properly regain his footing, the ship lurched _again _and sent him crashing down on his back. "Ouch," he groaned, staring up at the ceiling. "I think I'll just stay down here this time."

There was a crash from inside the room, getting all of their attention. Mike's eyes zeroed in on the sword now lying on the floor; he was surprised it hadn't fallen when the waves first got rough. As the ship lurched, it skittered, still sheathed, across the floorboards and hit the wall. Elsewhere in the room other things finally began falling, including the thick assumed-history book lying still-open on the desk.

Jeremy jerked forward and grabbed the sword off of the floor. "Don't want this becoming unsheathed," he said as he stumbled and clutched the sword, eyes scanning the surroundings as Foxy's belongings fell to the floor.

Bonnie nodded as he let himself slide down to the floor against the wall. He sighed and rubbed his temples, closing his eyes. "How many people are we gonna lose…?"

The humans' eyes trailed to the rabbit, Mike frowning at the thought. There were men up in the rigging, if they themselves were being tossed around on the floor what was happening to them? What about the men and women out by the rails? Freddy, Chica, Goldie running around the deck? Fritz and Bonzai and Alfred and all of Marion's officers doing whatever they were doing?

What was happening to Foxy up at the helm?

He closed his icy eyes and breathed out, ignoring the wave of nausea and panic that rose up inside him. The crew had been through a hundred storms, he was sure._ Everything will be fine._

At least, he certainly hoped it would.

_Thanks for jinxing us, Mike. Thanks. You just had to tempt fate, huh? Just had to hope things would be like the last few months. Should've known it'd never happen._

The wind continued to howl over the sound of the rain.


	17. Chapter 16

**A/N**: Hey, guys, sorry if the beginning feels like a let-down from the last chapter, but the storm doesn't play much importance to the story, so yeah.

Also, I apologize for how long it took me to get this chapter out, I was going through something recently and as I reread the chapters I have written I... kinda don't like them anymore, so I'm gonna rewrite the chapters that come after this one.

I feel like this chapter feels rushed, but I wrote it so long ago and edited it where I could to make it feel less so.

* * *

The damage wasn't nearly as bad as it had appeared in the beginning. Five crew members were injured, the human Endie being on of them, and two were lost overboard. Thankfully no one Mike knew or was attached to, though he still felt saddened by the loss of life.

Foxy was safe, though. That was what made Mike happiest. Foxy was alive and safe.

The storm had put them back by two days, Bonzai had informed them; two days at the _least_. Despite the Vulpine captain's best attempts, they had still been thrown off course by the storm.

Now, though, _now _they were about three hours out of Meldoran- and, therefore, Tondoran. They had recovered from the storm well enough, had memorials for the two lost crew members, and Bonnie and Jeremy patched up the injured and left them in the care of Bonnie's underlings.

Everyone, barring the injured Endie and the ever-faithful Mangle, was sitting in Foxy's cabin; Mike was sitting with Freddy on the bed, Alfred, Chica, Bonnie, and Chickee sat in chairs around the table, Goldie lounged against the wall with Fritz, Jeremy, and Marion, Bonzai sat leaning back near the crates, and Foxy was standing next to the crates, arms crossed as he looked around at the small assembly of the two crews. He looked tired and Mike couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty about it; Foxy- the Vulpine Mike remembered from his childhood- was responsible for every life on that ship.

It reminded Mike that the carefree days of youth were long gone.

"Now when we get t' Tondoran, we're gonna split up int' teams," the Vulpine captain was in the middle of explaining to the small assembly. "Tondoran ain't th' biggest island in th' world but it be big enough t' be too much fer a single party. The teams have been decided already.

"Mike, Freddy, and Goldie, ye three with me. Jeremy, ye, Chickee 'nd Fritz be wit' yer Cap'n. Alfred, Chica, Bonnie, 'nd Bonzai t' another."

They all nodded in understanding, none of them protesting the teams. They made sense, really; Goldie, Fritz, and Bonzai were all good navigators and spotters, Freddy, Chickee, and Chica were good at fighting and defense, and Foxy, Marion, and Alfred were good natural leaders. Bonnie and Jeremy were good choices, too, as they were medics and could offer some sort of assistance.

Mike had no idea where he himself came in. He still had no idea where he stood with the crew; he knew very well he was only being taken with Foxy so Foxy could keep an eye on him.

He didn't have much to actually contribute.

"Good," Foxy nodded in satisfaction, turning to look at the map of Tondoran he had hung on the wall above the crates. "Now, Cap's group will be takin' this section o' the island," he declared, smacking the blunt side of his hook against the map on the eastern side of the lake. He slid it across to the western side of the lake. "Alfred, yer group will go here. The southern half o' th' island we'll take, 'nd if we find nothin' we'll meet back up in th' north to search there together."

Everyone nodded simply, allowing the captain to continue speaking. "As ye all know th' air on Tondoran be harmful t' breathe, which is why we got some masks t' filter th' air. I 'ave no idea 'ow they work but Bonnie's assured me they'll do th' job fer at least an hour, so we gotta be makin' this quick as can be. Th' island mostly be rock, but there do be a forested area in th' north where th' air, s'posedly, is cleaner 'nd less dangerous, so we'll go there last. Shouldn't be too hard t' search, jus' remember to keep clear o' th' water at the center."

"Keep clear of the water?" Mike questioned, brows drawing together.

"The water is very acidic," Freddy answered for Foxy, glancing at the black-haired human. "Not to the point where it'll eat through your skin or nothin', but if ya fall in you'll definitely be in Bonnie's care for quite a while."

"Huh… okay," Mike nodded, frowning. That didn't sound pleasant in the least.

"Continuin' on!" Foxy started, tapping an area on the map in the north. "If'n one o' us do finds th' lad, we'll send someone up 'ere t' meet ye and lead ye to 'im or back t' the ship, dependin' on how close we cuttin' it. Spend half an hour max in yer area 'nd move on north t' wait. If ye find 'im, send Bonzai or Fritz. If we find 'im we'll be sendin' Golden."

"The people who are best with directions," Marion noted.

"Aye, exactly! We'll leave by th' end o' th' hour, whether or not we found th' lad. We'll jus' 'ave t' try again if we don't."

"If he's even on Tondoran," Chica deadpanned. "We still have no guarantee of that."

"I got a good feelin', lass," Foxy dismissed with a grin. "I got a good feelin'."

* * *

Mike watched the water, his heartbeat picking up the further from the _Crimson Vixen_ they got. Back on the Cathan Islands the distance had been a comfort, but knowing exactly what was on that island- and _who _was potentially on it- made the blue-eyed witch more than a little uneasy. He glanced at the three Animals in his group; the other two rowboats with the other two teams had already faded from sight, rounding the island to their respective shores. Goldie and Freddy were sitting across from Mike, rowing, and Foxy was sitting near the front of the small boat, eyes on the island ahead.

"Masks on, lads," Foxy commanded as they approached the island's southern shore. Goldie and Freddy paused in their rowing to pick their masks up, fastening them into place as Foxy and Mike both did the same.

The twins continued rowing the boat, getting them as close to island as they could get, and then Foxy and Mike both jumped out into the knee-deep water and began pulling the boat up onto the rocky shore. A quick glance around told Mike that this would be a relatively difficult search.

There were random outcroppings everywhere from what may have been earthquakes, the terrain was quite uneven and had sudden, deep dips, and there were a few trees with almost-black leaves scattered around. An almost-mountainous hill rose up towards the west.

"I don't think this is gonna be too easy," Mike muttered to Foxy as they and the bear brothers secured the boat to the rocks. His voice was slightly muffled by the mask.

"Nay, it won't be, but once we get t' higher ground we'll be able t' eliminate some areas from our search," Foxy told him, turning around and heading further inland over the rocks. The mask, made of metal and fabric and many things that Mike couldn't see inside of it, was fit securely over the fox's muzzle. He adjusted his own mask and followed the fox, stepping carefully over the rocks. "What we really need t' watch fer are any formations that look _unnatural_."

"This entire island looks unnatural," Goldie pointed out, stumbling over a pothole in the ground. "Geez, this guy can't actually go on walks, can he?"

"Might not come this close to the ocean," Freddy mused, helping his brother steady himself as they hurried as carefully as possible up the shore. Finally, they reached the crown of the beach and paused, looking around.

Mike could see all the way to the lake, the island was so lacking. A few trees dotted the landscape, some mosses had found cold, wet areas blocked from the sunlight, but absolutely nothing was around the caldera-lake which stretched out of sight east, west, and across.

Frankly, Mike was trying to figure out how the trees were growing, considering there was absolutely no soil…

His gaze trailed over to the almost-mountainous region, frowning slightly. "I dunno, Foxy, I don't see anything here that'd be habitable," he finally said, looking over at the captain.

"Makes this easier," Freddy commented, gazing around. "We should search the areas that could hide somethin' first and then try elsewhere. I highly doubt he'd be in plain sight or along the beach. It'd be too easy for someone to see him from the sea."

"Aye," Foxy agreed, turning and heading towards the almost-mountains. "Let's check there first. Tha' be th' bes' place fer a home t' be hidin' on this side o' the island."

The others all nodded in agreement and followed Foxy, watching their surroundings cautiously. Mike's left foot slid on some loose rocks but Foxy reached out and grabbed his arm, keeping him from tumbling painfully down to the rocky ground. Mike tried not to pay too much attention to the fact that the captain didn't let go.

They fell into silence as they walked, watching the rocky, pothole-filled ground so none of them would injure themselves. It took only five minutes to reach the hills and immediately they located a narrow "valley" that looked more like a shallow gorge from above and walked through, their ears peeled for any sounds.

The only sound they heard was the wind whistling overhead.

Only five or so minutes had passed before they had to stop, coming upon a rockslide that blocked their way. It wasn't too steep, if one were to ask Mike, and it even looked very climbable.

The biggest danger would be the loose rocks dislodging themselves as the group climbed over.

"We'll go back over top," Foxy mumbled to them as he finally released Mike's arm in order to climb. "Don't have time t' be climbin' rubble…" The Vulpine captain's muttering became unintelligible, and Mike stepped forward to follow.

He paused, noticing that Goldie was lagging behind, and turned around to look at him with a furrowed brow. Freddy walked past him, pulling himself up and over the rubble, but Mike paid him no mind. Instead he watched as Goldie just stared at the stone wall, his eyes narrowed. Mike couldn't see his mouth, but he could imagine they were pulled down into a sharp, critical frown.

Neither Foxy nor Freddy seemed to realize that Goldie and Mike weren't following them; they climbed over the rubble and he could hear rocks tumbling as they slid down the other side. Mike considered hurrying after them, not wanting to get separated, but instead he doubled back to the golden bear, looking at the stone wall of the valley.

'_What are you looking at?'_

It was… a stone wall. Dark brown-grey, it seemed, rough and grainy like the rest of the stone.

Maybe Goldie saw something else, though. He glanced back at his brown-eyed friend, brushing his bangs out of his eyes. "Goldie, why are you staring at that wall?"

"Don't'cha see it?" Goldie asked, his frown practically _audible_. He stepped closer to the wall and carefully placed his hand against it, running his fingers down in a straight line. "This _isn't_ a wall, Mike. It's a _door_."

As he said this, his hand paused and shifted to the left, comfortably fitting into a groove in the stone and pushing on it. Mike's icy eyes widened as the "wall" moved with a heavy, protesting screech and swung open, revealing a large room that was lightly furnished for one single person.

Goldie was right; it _wasn't_ a wall at all. It was an entrance to a _house… _and as far as Mike knew, there was only one person who would be living on Tondoran.

"Good thing we have you, Eagle-Eyes," Mike sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I wouldn't have caught that at all. Foxy!" He called down the valley. "Goldie found something!"

The two peeked inside as they waited for Freddy and Foxy to return, neither of them daring to actually go inside. From the door they could see that the home was cozy and carved smoothly from the stone, so smoothly that Mike just _knew_ it wasn't done with a tool. There was a fire in a grate and Mike could just barely see a vent above it, though there was no smoke rising from the rocky valley side above.

Across from the fireplace was a blue chair that looked large enough to curl up in beside a small table and a bookshelf. At the far end from the hidden entrance was an open arched doorway carved through into what Mike assumed was either a kitchen or bedroom, as neither a bed nor a stove were around the fireplace.

The room was sparsely decorated; a soft-looking sunset-coloured rug sat on the ground in front of the chair and there were some paintings on the wall. There was even a vase of flowers sitting on a table in a corner, though how they had survived in this place was beyond him.

It was… surprisingly nice. And it was definitely not abandoned.

"Good job, lads!" Foxy cheered as he dropped down from the rubble, Freddy following. "And with twenty minutes t' spare!"

"Nicely spotted," Freddy added to his brother who simply grinned in response- at least, Mike assumed he did from the twinkle in his eye. "If only we had a flare gun so we could tell the others."

Foxy slapped his forehead and groaned. "Ye couldn't o' mentioned tha' an hour ago, Freddy?" The fox's three companions all began laughing, shaking their heads at their captain's lack of forethought. Realizing he wasn't about to get an answer, Foxy leaned against the door and looked inside the house, furrowing his brow as his eyes scanned over the belongings inside. "Now I wonder where th' lad is. His fire's still burnin'."

Mike shrugged. "Think we should knock?" he asked, though he knew that would be just a little difficult with the door being made of stone rather than wood. Foxy, obviously, realized it as well and he snorted in response.

"On what, Mikey? The stone? Methinks tha' won't go so well. We could just go in 'nd see if he be here."

"That's wrong, Foxy, you shouldn't just walk inside someone else's home!" Mike reprimanded with a sigh, shaking his head.

"Well, what do ye suggest we do, Mikey? Watch his fire burn?" Foxy suggested sarcastically. "We could be waiting here all day for him to get back from wherever he is- which, by the way, we don't be havin' time for."

"We still shouldn't go into someone else's home," Mike protested, frowning beneath his mask. "An abandoned shack is one thing, but this is somewhere that's still being lived in."

"Shush now," Freddy interrupted, sighing and shaking his head at his captain and their friend. "Honestly. It's not as if going inside will make much difference, y'know. We can either go inside and look around while we wait or stay here until he gets back and watch his fire burn. It all comes out the same."

"Or you could take the third, less invasive option- you know, _not_ open someone else's door at all."

Mike froze. That wasn't Freddy, Goldie or Foxy. That was a completely unfamiliar voice. And it was _not_ happy.

Whirling around, all four of them stared wide-eyed at the person standing behind them, his arms crossed. He was wearing an old, pitch-black cloak with the hood pulled up and there was a cloth mask over his mouth and nose, obscuring his expression from view, but Mike could see by the gleam in his unnaturally-silver eyes that the golden-furred Animal was mad. Perhaps he was even somewhat offended by their trespass.

'_Is this Springtrap?'_

After a few moments of startled silence, Foxy gave the newcomer a sheepish grin. "Ah, Springy, ye know how we pirates be."

Springtrap studied them for several seconds before his eyes softened and he sighed, uncrossing his arms and gripping the basket Mike only just noticed was in his hands. It was closed tightly and covered securely with a blanket, reminding Mike of lazy picnic lunches on his father's day off so long ago, when everything still made sense.

It seemed strangely domestic for a pirate Mike already knew to have been rather… _merciless_, to say the least.

"Let me guess, you have more questions about Time's End," the Animal said, his tone flat and conveying his displeasure at the intrusion despite his soft gaze and voice.

"This don't be fer-"

"Cut the accent, please. There's no one here to impress."

Mike was seriously starting to doubt this guy was as timid or nice as Foxy had claimed, but Foxy just laughed, grinning at the rabbit. Clearly he didn't feel at all threatened by him.

'_Perhaps it's just because he's upset with us? I don't know…'_

"Still struggle to understand it, huh?" he asked casually, crossing his own arms and quirking a brow towards the other Animal. "Look, Springtrap, we're not here to ask ye questions out of curiosity, this time we have a damn good reason."

Springtrap stared at Foxy blankly, as though trying to decide whether or not to humour the pirates. Then he let his gaze slide over to the twins and Mike, pausing when he reached the latter. Mike felt almost frozen as those silver eyes trained on him, several silent, tense seconds passing as the ex-pirate seemed to study him.

The Animal's shoulders sagged and he sighed, lifting a hand to his face. "Whose?" was the only thing he said.

"Whose what?" Mike asked, brow furrowing. He ignored the disbelieving looks Freddy and Goldie gave him.

"I can recognize a Key when I see one. All Revived can," Springtrap informed him softly. "Look, all of you look really ridiculous with those contraptions on your faces-"

"Thanks," Goldie muttered quietly to Mike.

"-so just go inside out of the bad air already."

"Isn't the air in there bad too?" Goldie asked, arching a brow. Springtrap laughed slightly, humorlessly.

"Honestly, I've lived here a decade now. You don't think I'd have found a way to clean the air in my own house?" he asked, walking past the pirates and through the door, looking completely unconcerned about having his back to three armed pirates and a Key. He set his basket down on the table and pulled his hood down, allowing his ears to spring up, and he shook them out, obviously trying to get rid of the feeling of them being forcefully flattened.

The first thing Mike noticed was how _fluffy _his ears were; the second thing he noticed was that his right ear was cut off halfway, reminding Mike that this fluffy Animal had killed multiple times before and could kill all four of them with a snap of his fingers.

That quickly stilled any thoughts of '_aww, adorable!'_

The golden rabbit looked back towards the door, raising a brow and giving Mike and Goldie, the two who had never met him, a clear look at the jagged scar across his face and left eye. It was just another reminder to Mike that this rabbit used to be a ruthless, feared captain.

"Unless you _want_ to stand out there in toxic air…"

"Nay nay," Foxy laughed, stepping inside with Freddy. "Your ears are just as fluffy as last time I saw ye!"

"Revived don't exactly change," the rabbit sighed, turning to his basket and opening it. Mike shuffled in after Goldie and pushed the door shut, noticing this side had an actual handle and looked like wood.

'_The outside is a facade._'

Mike turned to look at the rabbit again as said rabbit untied his cloak and dropped it on his chair along with the cloth mask.

The rabbit wore very simple brown clothes, but his neck and arms were uncovered and had very clear scars. One thick, jagged scar extended up his bicep and up his shoulder under his sleeve.

There were no questions in Mike's mind about how the rabbit had died.

Concentrating on looking past the scars and fluff, Mike noticed that the rabbit was very lithe and, well… _small _for an Animal. He was about as tall as Mike- slightly taller, actually, but still shorter than the other Animals Mike had met- and had a rather surprisingly-feminine quality to him that made Mike question how the _hell_ this rabbit had ever been a feared pirate captain.

Of course, then he remembered the steely, burning look of anger in those silver eyes when he had first turned around.

'_Oh yeah. I can imagine why.'_

"Right, sorry," Foxy apologized, pulling his own mask off and testing the air. Finding it satisfactory, he let his mask fall against his chest and signaled the others to take theirs off. "I have other people out and about the island who are a part of this. In," he took a quick glance at his golden watch in his pocket, "Fifteen minutes we're supposed to meet with them. They need to know this information, too."

"The only thing you need to know is to stay away from Time's End Cove."

Mike frowned, looking at Springtrap. The rabbit was watching them, his lips pulled into a frown and his brows drawn together, his ears drooping down slightly.

Feared captain or not, though, Mike was stubborn. "But we have to get there before-"

"No," Springtrap interrupted, not even waiting to hear their reasons. "If you're a Key, Time's End Cove is the last place on Earth you want to be. _Ever_."

"We were hopin' to destroy the body," Goldie tried but Springtrap shook his head before he could even finish the sentence.

"Can't. The Cove won't allow that. Can't destroy or remove it. The dead and dying were meant to enter and the living were meant to exit, not the other way around. Besides, the dead are tied down there through magic. Best thing you can do is stay far, far away."

"Unfortunately, lad, we can't afford to not know what we're up against," Foxy told Springtrap, scowling slightly. The rabbit looked at him, his eyes steely and determined again, but the captain didn't back down.

Finally, after several seconds, Springtrap sighed and averted his gaze. Apparently he didn't have the ability to stand up to Foxy's glare. "Tell me why this is so important and I'll decide if it's bad enough that I should answer your questions."

"Scrawlbeard."

The reaction was instant. The rabbit's gaze snapped back to Foxy, his eyes slightly wide and void of the agitation present before. "Scrawlbeard? Really?"

"That important enough for ya?" Goldie drawled, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he watched the Revived rabbit. Springtrap gave no indication that he had heard the golden bear.

"Seriously, just... stay _away_ from Time's End Cove," Springtrap sighed, rubbing his temples. Mike briefly wondered if he had a headache… which would be weird considering dead guys didn't _get _headaches. "Okay, tell me why just staying away from the Cove isn't an option?"

"Because Gene Corcran is actively trying to revive him," Freddy answered this time. Springtrap frowned, his brow furrowing in confusion as he looked up at them.

"Who?"

"Gene Corcran," Foxy repeated Freddy's words. "He's right now the worst pirate on the seas and near impossible to kill since he don't play fair. I think ye went into isolation, hm, several years before he became a pirate."

"What's he hoping to accomplish by Reviving Scrawlbeard?" The rabbit asked incredulously, shaking his head. "Scrawlbeard would abuse his Power."

"Oh geez, more magic," Goldie groaned, eliciting light snickers from Freddy and Mike. Springtrap just rolled his eyes.

"Yes, magic." He sighed and shook his head again, looking towards Foxy. "You said you have more people on the island?" When Foxy nodded his confirmation, Springtrap stood up. "I'll go find them, then. Stop all this waiting around, then you can leave me alone…"

Mike watched as the rabbit grabbed his cloak and mask again, noting that Foxy didn't mention that they weren't planning on leaving the rabbit alone.

When the rabbit disappeared out the door, he turned to Foxy with a frown. "Just gonna let him continue thinking we're just here for information?"

"Eh, I'll tell him when the others are here," Foxy dismissed with a small smirk. Mike just sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Of course."


	18. Chapter 17

**A/N**: Hey guys! I have another poll up on my profile.

As I write this story I've come to a point where, if I'm just focusing on Foxy and Mike, there is _literally_ a three or four month period (in story) that I cannot write _anything_ for (spoiler alert), which makes the abrupt timejump seem... eh, well, abrupt. It makes it feel too fast-paced to me, jumping from one action scene straight into another... I could remedy this with a montage from those months, but I'm not so sure.

I also realized the other characters' relationships might seem to develop out of nowhere if I don't show them, especially Goldie's and Spring's (which is a VERY complicated story that is hard to understand without actually _showing_ it) whose friendship doesn't really start until they're on their way to Time's End... which, due to events in the upcoming chapters, is the period of time I wouldn't be showing if I completely discount other pairings.

However, I _will_ be showing the other characters' relationships, the "how" is what I'm debating. My question to you guys is (and you can answer in the poll, if you want to elaborate or something just shoot me a message) do you want to see them _actually_ explored in AFA or would you rather I focus on Foxy/Mike and show the others' developments in an AFA-oriented oneshot series?

* * *

When a home has been made for only one person to ever be in at a time, it was difficult to comfortably fit thirteen people inside, but that was exactly what they had done...

Minus the comfortable part.

Springtrap, of course, claimed his chair and curled up with his feet under him, eying the pirates around him uneasily. Only Foxy, Freddy, Chica, and Bonnie had met him before; all of the rest were total strangers and it obviously unnerved the rabbit.

Foxy and Marion both stood next to the chair on either side, Mike and Jeremy having claimed a spot on the floor a few feet in front of the chair. Bonnie and Chica opted to stay by the door, Freddy and Goldie sitting with Alfred in front of the fireplace. Bonzai and Chickee were leaning against the wall next to the fireplace and Fritz was just standing awkwardly near the archway to the supposed kitchen.

All of them were within sight of the rabbit, and Mike had no doubt that that was no accident.

It had been about five minutes since the rabbit returned with the others and claimed his seat, not saying a single word to any of them. The room had been filled with an awkward silence since the door had been closed and masks removed. Everyone just sat and stood there, watching the silent rabbit, obviously unsure of how to approach the subject with the... minutely-intimidating rabbit.

Finally, though, the rabbit sighed. "You know, I let you all in so you could ask your questions and leave, not stand there awkwardly staring at me."

"Are ye gonna actually answer 'em this time?" Foxy asked, raising a brow at the Revived.

"I figure if someone's actively trying to Revive Scrawlbeard it's kind of important," Springtrap muttered, leaning his head on his hand, elbow resting on the armrest. If it weren't for the way his silver eyes flicked to the ceiling and the crease in his brow, Mike might have thought he looked bored. "Scrawlbeard's not exactly someone who should be given any kind of Power."

"And that brings us to the first question!" Foxy grinned, leaning against the back of Springtrap's chair. Immediately the rabbit leaned away from him, putting more distance between. Foxy was clearly not bothered by it. "Are the stories about a Revived's Power true?"

"Depends on which stories you've heard," Springtrap replied, pointedly avoiding everyone's eyes.

"That they wake up with the ability to destroy the world."

"Yes and no." Foxy raised a brow, waiting for the rabbit to elaborate. "When a Revived first wakes up, they have very little Power because they're weak and recovering from their time in the Void." He quickly held a hand up to cut the fox's question off. "The Void is where your conscious goes when you die in Time's End Cove. You are aware of only the Void... not your physical surroundings in relation to your body," he explained, dropping his hand into his lap again. "As I was saying, when a Revived first wakes up they're physically, mentally, emotionally, and magically weak. How fast they recover depends on... well... how much blood was spilt."

"What do you mean?" Mike squeaked, but Foxy was frowning as he remembered something Corcran had said... something about the end being quick.

Springtrap glanced over at Mike, silver eyes meeting icy blue. Mike actively resisted a shiver; something about those eyes unnerved him. They were unnatural. "The blood of one's Key is spilt on the corpse of the person who died in Time's End Cove to bring them back," the rabbit told him. "If it's just a little, like a drop, it can take years before a Revived has fully recovered or gathered their strength. If it's... all of it, it's just a few hours. Anything in between can be days to weeks to months... It all depends on how much blood is used."

"And," Freddy spoke up, clearly wishing to get back on track, "what kind of Power do Revived have?"

"Revived can't _literally _destroy the world," Springtrap sighed, glancing at the stone ceiling again. "We can't just snap our fingers and make the planet implode or anything. We can... basically control the weather and the dead..."

"Control the weather and the dead," Goldie repeated slowly, staring at the rabbit. His expression was completely unreadable, but Mike had a feeling he was _not_ impressed or happy with this news.

"Yes. Along with... other typical magic things. Like... produce lights," he explained, lifting a hand and making a small ball of light flitter to life. Mike immediately noticed that it was silver instead of his, Freddy, and Alfred's blue. "Or teleport," he added almost as an afterthought as he let the light disappear. "When a Revived first wakes, though, they have no control over the dead... that develops over time."

"How did you find out you could do all that?" Mike asked curiously, receiving a frown from the golden rabbit. He quickly attempted to backpedal, afraid he might have upset the former captain. "Er, sorry, I just-"

"I'm not a witch," the rabbit interrupted, voice calm and expression neutral. "I never had magic before being Revived so I had no idea how to control it."

Alfred frowned, quickly understanding what the Revived meant. "Ah. So ya ended up havin' magical accidents."

"To say the least," Springtrap sighed, tugging lightly on his left ear and averting his eyes. "Anyway... the most basic answer is yes, a Revived can destroy the world in the terms of society and life, though not immediately, and no, they do not _wake up_ with that Power. It just gets stronger over time."

"So... okay, so, you're saying it'd take possibly years for him to be able to do any damage?" Foxy asked, furrowing his brow.

"No. He can still do significant damage after being Revived, especially since he's very... malevolent," Springtrap sighed, shaking his head. "He just won't be able to manipulate the entire world unless his Key is basically killed and left to bleed out on him."

Mike winced at both the imagery and the bitter tone, but he wisely chose not to comment on it. Apparently, everyone else chose to do the same.

"Alright then... do ye know the origins of Time's End Cove?" Springtrap looked at Foxy, a brow raised. "What? It could be useful."

"I don't know the origin, no," Springtrap slowly answered after several seconds of silence. "All I know is what everyone else knows- it was created when Time itself was. Being Revived doesn't tell me the past."

"Aye, I guess that was a pointless question, huh?" Foxy mused with a half-hearted apologetic shrug.

"Pretty much..." The rabbit seemed to be relaxing slightly...

"Why was Time's End Cove created in the first place?" Mike muttered to himself, not really meaning for Springtrap to hear, but the rabbit's sensitive ears picked up on it anyway.

"That's what I've been asking for years. It seems pointless to me," Springtrap sighed, closing his eyes. "The dead are meant to stay dead. That's just logic..."

Mike frowned, watching the rabbit. _'He seems bitter about his own existence.'_ His eyes flicked to the uncovered basket, which carried fruits. Why did the Revived rabbit even have fruits?

He chose not to ask.

"How do you even defeat or kill a Revived?" Bonzai spoke up, catching the rabbit's attention. Springtrap still didn't open his eyes, though; the only indication that he heard was a twitch of his ears.

"As far as I know you can't. Trust me, if you could I wouldn't be here." Mike shivered a bit at that implication. "The only thing you can do is hope a Revived is benign and not completely insane like Scrawlbeard."

"I've read what little is known of yer story, mate," Foxy drawled, watching the rabbit with a raised brow. "Yer history ain't so stellar either."

The rabbit's lips twitched into an irritated frown. "Nor is yours or Clawfoot's. Speaking of, where _is_ your captain?" He added, opening his eyes to look at the crew.

"I'm the captain now," Foxy answered simply, any amusement his tone had held before falling away. "Corcran's men got 'im a year or two after we visited ye the first time."

Springtrap blinked and his frown softened as he glanced down towards the floor. "That's a shame, I actually liked Clawfoot. He was a nice guy, piracy and invading my privacy aside..." The rabbit seemed genuinely saddened by the news. It was strange to Mike how someone who once killed his own crewmembers without remorse could seem so sad at the news of a near-stranger's death.

"That he was," Foxy agreed with a forlorn sigh. "But that ain't the point, lad."

"I'm older than you," the rabbit muttered, but before any of them could point out that he _looked _younger than Foxy, he continued speaking. "The best way to survive when a Revived tries to destroy everything is stick close to witches or other Revived. And if you ever have to directly fight with a Revived hellbent on destroying everything, well... we're not very good at close-range magic attacks, they'll rely on their physical fighting skills," Springtrap informed them. "If they do throw close-range attacks at you, dodge. And if you can, injure them in a way that would be fatal to anyone else. It-"

"Injure?" Bonnie interrupted, blinking in surprise. "Revived can be injured?"

"Yes," Springtrap confirmed, closing his eyes again. He looked very tired, Mike realized. "We can't be killed but we _can _be injured. If it's bad enough we could be incapacitated for days or even weeks. We don't have accelerated healing and we can still feel pain, just like you guys." He opened his eyes, watching them. "As I was saying, if you deal them a would-be fatal injury, it will slow them down and they will be unable to use their Power to its full potential."

Freddy and Foxy shared a look. Mike glanced between them, realizing a silent conversation was taking place. He had a feeling he knew what the next questions would be.

"Where _is_ Time's End Cove?" Freddy ventured, turning his gaze back to the golden rabbit..

Springtrap immediately tensed up, frowning sharply. He stayed silent for several moments, and Mike was sure he wasn't going to answer. However, after those tense moments, the former pirate said, "Southwest of Tralago, nearly half a year in the middle of the Crodian Sea."

"Half a year?" Foxy yelped, eyes wide. "I could sail across the world in that time!"

"Time's End Cove is hard to find and in treacherous waters," Springtrap sighed, glancing skywards again. Now he looked downright irritated with just a hint of that tiredness. "I came across it by accident myself. Most people do. It's in a really dense fog where you can't even tell which way is up and it gets hard to breathe. The Cove itself is clear and you can see the sky, but... the fog... You'll never be able to find your way out. You can't even keep on a straight line there. Trust me... I tried."

"And... you crashed?" Goldie offered, raising a brow.

"Into an enemy ship that had been following us," Springtrap answered, frowning towards the golden bear. "We destroyed each other, just saying. That captain's also in Time's End with half his crew…"

"We're gettin' off track," Freddy interrupted gently. "Springtrap, how much time would be reduced if one were to have a guide?"

Springtrap's eyes snapped to Freddy, sharp and cutting; he understood. "No."

"No?" Foxy seemed surprised, as though he hadn't expected the rabbit to catch on to what they were trying to do.

"I'm not taking you there. If you have the Key then the best thing you can do is stay the hell _away _from that cursed place," Springtrap warned, frowning sharply. "If you go to Time's End Cove with the Key, all you're doing is putting yourself in a dangerous situation. You cannot move or destroy the body and all you're doing is putting yourself right where the crazy man _wants _you." The rabbit paused, letting his eyes scan over the crews in his home, taking in their reactions. Mike was too frozen to look around. "Don't tempt fate." It was said so quietly that, had it not been dead silent in the room, it would have been completely missed.

'_If something can go wrong, it will.' _That was what he was really saying.

"Bottom line, if you have the Key," his eyes landed on Mike, reminding the dark haired human that Springtrap knew that he was the key they were discussing, "then _get off of the sea_ and _stay away from Time's End._"

The words were uttered in a dark, warning tone that sent chills up the listeners' spines. Mike wanted in that instant to get the hell out and do exactly what Springtrap said; leave and get off of the sea_._

Glancing around, Mike could tell the others wanted to do the same. It was surprising; even the most stubborn of the pirates clearly wanted to listen, and even as Mike realized that something about the rabbit- magic, non-magic, _something-_ might have been influencing their reactions...

He still wanted to get the hell out of there.

However, in that moment something happened, preventing them from taking the Revived's advice.

Springtrap suddenly jerked, sitting straight up in his seat while his feet slipped down onto the rug, his ears standing straight up rather than flopped over as they had been earlier, his silver eyes staring intently at the wall. Bonnie and Bonzai both seemed to have similar reactions, their ears perking up and turning in that same direction.

Springtrap's eyes flicked to Foxy, his brow furrowed. "Did... you have anyone else with you?" he asked carefully, worriedly. Slowly, Foxy shook his head.

"No. It's only us," he told the rabbit, the others nodding in agreement.

"Uh... Foxy, we got a problem," Bonnie mumbled, placing himself against the door. "I think, um... we may have been followed."

As if to accent his words, something slammed into the door. It buckled and almost sent Bonnie tumbling, but quickly Freddy and Goldie leapt over to help the rabbit hold the door shut. Springtrap rushed to his feet, his eyes wide in what could have been either fear or surprise. Mike wasn't sure which.

"How did you not know you were being followed?!" Springtrap demanded, turning to his bookshelf and reaching behind it. Whatever he was looking for evidently wasn't there, if Mike had to judge by the stricken expression on the Revived rabbit's face.

"Gene Corcran is a sneaky motherfucker whose ship is taller than ours, that's how!" Goldie snarled, glaring towards the rabbit as the door, even with his and Freddy's help, continued to threaten to come open. "Rabbit, do you have a back exit?!"

"No, I don't! I don't get guests out here on a toxic island, you know!"

"Enough fighting!" Chickee screeched at the golden Animals, unsheathing her sword. "We'll just have to defend ourselves!"

"Can't you do something?" Mike asked Springtrap. The rabbit turned to the humans, worry and surprise evident in his eyes as he frowned.

"I don't know how, I've never done anything major with my own Power," the rabbit admitted to the humans as the pirates all drew their swords, concentrating on the door. Springtrap fidgeted with his hands, his ears flattening and looking more like the nervous creature that Foxy had told Mike he was. "I just learned to repress it..."

"It's fine," Mike assured the rabbit, climbing to his feet and grabbing his pistol from his belt. If there was one thing Mike was, it was _stubborn._ "I don't know how to use mine either."

Jeremy fidgeted, staring at the door. There were a few more crashes before the three holding it shut were finally thrown aside, Freddy hitting the stone wall with a painful-sounding crack, and the door opened to reveal the nearly-white haired Gene Corcran and a band of pirates.

"Hello and goodbye!" Corcran cackled as his men streamed into the home, everyone scattering to try and fit in the house. Bonnie tried to keep out of sight with Freddy, who had fallen unconscious, and Mike dashed through the archway in an attempt to escape the now _very_ crowded living area. He noted dimly that he was right, it _was _a kitchen, before turning around and aiming, shooting the crewman chasing after him. Other gunshots rang out as well as the clash of metal on metal, sending adrenaline rushing through Mike's veins. He turned and ran to the far end of the kitchen, pressing himself into a corner and keeping aim on the archway.

Inside the living room, Foxy was engaging an orangutan in a sword fight as he scanned the room for Mike. His eyes scanned over Bonzai and Alfred defending each others' backs against twin siamese cats, over Chickee who was defending the purple medic and unconscious bear, over Marion and Jeremy fighting three different human crewmen, over Springtrap dodging and ducking sword swipes, to Fritz who had a deep gash in his stomach…

'_Mikey, where the hell are ye?!'_ he thought desperately, quickly slashing through the orangutan's stomach and dashing at the pirate behind Marion's back, not hesitating to thrust his sword through the man's abdomen. A quick scan around showed no results.

His eyes went to the archway, realizing suddenly that he couldn't see Corcran either.

There was a startled cry from Foxy's right and he whirled around, spotting Bonzai restrained by one of the other pirates- a wolf instead of a siamese cat. The captain didn't hesitate to leap forward and slash the taller wolf's throat right over Bonzai's head, making a mental note to check for the rabbit's ears next time before reacting. It dimly occurred to him to wonder where Alfred was, but that wasn't his current priority.

As he heard a crash from the room over, he turned around and hurried in that direction, dodging around an enemy's blade. He had only one destination in mind.

He skid through the archway and looked around, eyes zeroing in on the broken table, tipped woodstove, and another open doorway that looked as if the door had been thrown off its hinges. Mike wasn't in the kitchen.

Foxy dashed forward and entered the third room, barely noticing that it was a bedroom and all of the furniture looked like they had been thrown around somehow. Instead, his eyes scanned the room for any sign of his human friend and the purple-clad captain.

They weren't there.

Panic started rising in Foxy's chest. '_Are there any more rooms?'_ He turned around and hurried back out into the living room, glancing around. There were some people lying in pools of blood on the ground and he was relieved to see none of those were his crewmembers.

His eyes then found Springtrap who was, oddly enough, standing between a collapsed Goldie and an armed pirate; his left arm was slashed, probably to the bone, and dripping blood, and both of his hands were tightly gripping the sword's blade, his face twisted into a grimace. Foxy could see blood dripping down the blade from where it cut into the rabbit's hand.

He decided not to dwell on the fact that the Revived had blood at all and instead dashed over and plunged his sword through the pirate's back, allowing him to fall to the ground with a horrible cry of pain. The sword clattered to the floor and the rabbit cradled his sliced hands against his chest, looking at Foxy gratefully.

"Springtrap, are there any other rooms besides the three?" he demanded. When Springtrap shook his head, Foxy cursed and turned back to the thinning crowd. He couldn't spot Bonnie, Alfred, Mike, _or _Corcran. "Are ye absolutely sure?!"

"Yes, I'm sure! There's only the three rooms!" Springtrap confirmed, turning around to help the injured bear to his feet. Foxy didn't pay them any more mind, looking around again and groaning.

"Dammit, did they slip out?!" he hissed, dashing away from the golden-furred Animals and out the door, looking left and right. He saw a tail disappear around the bend in the "valley" and quickly followed, stumbling over rocks and potholes in the ground. When he came to the mouth of the valley, though, he found himself blocked in by a wall of collapsed rocks.

Sheathing his sword, he leapt at the rock wall and began climbing, but the stones were loose and when he grabbed them he found himself falling back down, the stones scraping mercilessly against his skin and tumbling down after him.

"Dammit!" he cursed angrily, kicking at the wall. "Corcran, get yer lily-livered ass back here!"

"Foxy!" Chica's voice echoed over to him and he looked behind him, seeing Chica covered in blood- thankfully someone else's, he noted quickly that she wasn't injured- with a worried crease in her brow. "Foxy, they got Bonnie!"

"They got Mike too," Foxy cursed again, looking back towards the wall. "Freddy 'nd Golden're injured, methinks they got Alfred too."

Chica hurried forward and began pulling at the stones, but Foxy pulled her back as stones higher up began falling down towards them. "Let go, Foxy, they got Bonnie!" she demanded, struggling against his hold.

"Lass, it'll do us or them no good t' crush ourselves!" Foxy told her, glancing at the stone wall. Truth be told he was tempted to try and plow through the wall as well... but... he had to keep a level head about it; he was the captain, his crew would be relying on him to stay calm. "They won't hurt 'em-"

"They won't _kill_ Mike," Chica interrupted with a growl. "They need Mike but Bonnie 'nd Alfred're in danger! Corcran doesn't _need_ 'em!"

"Relax, lass!" Foxy commanded, putting his captain voice back on. Instantly, Chica's struggling stilled. "Wha' they _do_ be needin' is Mikey's obedience, 'nd ye know 'ow Mikey be. If anythin' Bonnie 'nd Alfred'll be bargainin' chips fer Corcran- Mikey stays put, they be safe. We'll cut 'em off and save 'em, alright?!"

"They can see further than we can," Chica pointed out, voice dark and filled with a level of hatred that Foxy had _never_ heard from the chicken before. "They could easily keep us just out of sight. How the hell're we gonna cut 'em off when we can't even _see _'em?!"

Chica then dissolved into a coughing fit, and Foxy began dragging her back to Springtrap's house; in his panic he had completely forgotten about the toxic air. He hadn't even noticed his own labored breathing until he pulled Chica into the much-cleaner air of the house, and the cleaner, filtered air entered his lungs, relieving him of a burning pain he had been too numb to notice.

He leaned against the wall, trying to catch his own breath, but the scent of blood attempted to strangle him as he did.

Foxy looked up and around; all of Corcran's crew were either gone or dead, lying on the blood-spattered ground. Freddy was still unconscious by the wall, Goldie sitting next to him with his hand over his side. Jeremy was checking over Freddy and Chickee was doing her best to help, but Chickee was the weapon's master- not a medic. She wasn't much help.

Standing in the middle of the wrecked room was Springtrap, his hands still pulled protectively against his chest as he looked around, frowning, at all of the damage to his home. Near him Bonzai was panicking, speaking to Fritz who had a makeshift bandage around his abdomen.

Marion stood silently in a corner, his own sword still in hand and dripping crimson as he scanned the pirates. Foxy couldn't quite tell through the mask he always wore, but he was sure the human was frowning.

Then Marion's gaze turned towards him and a few others followed suit; Foxy was the current leader. He was the one they would look to for answers.

"The path's been blocked," Foxy informed the other pirates with a low growl, catching everyone else's attention as well. "Couldn't catch up to 'em."

"How are we gonna save them then?" Bonzai asked, wringing his hands nervously. "We'll never catch up to them!"

"We've gotta," Goldie ground out, looking up at Foxy. "They've got my brother, dammit…!"

"We'll figure somethin' out, Golden." Foxy did his best to assure the bear, but his words didn't seem to help in the slightest. The bear let his head fall back against the wall and he closed his eyes; just looking at him, Foxy knew he was cursing himself- blaming himself- for not realizing what was happening sooner.

Frankly, Foxy was doing that to himself as well. _'I should have known something like this would happen.'_

"From the way things look right now," Marion spoke up, gaining the attention of everyone in the room, "the only guarantee we have to cut them off..." He turned to gaze directly at Springtrap, meeting his silver eyes. Everyone already knew what the captain's next words would be.

"...is to beat them to Time's End Cove."


	19. Chapter 18

**A/N**: Guys I'm sorry for the delay. I swear this story isn't cancelled, I've just been having problems with some depression, but it's a new year, I'm gonna try and be better about it!

I love this story with all my heart, I really do, but somewhere in the last few months I've started imagining the characters differently than how I've established them. They'll be the same ol' sweeties you know here, of course, but yeah.

I feel bad 'cause I've had this written literally since August. There's a lot of Springtrap in it, too- the next couple chapters kinda focus on him but there's reasons for it.

I've decided during that three-month period I'll be unable to write about, I'll still write my own oneshot series (it'll center around AFA but it won't be canon- I'll indicate when something is or isn't canon) but I'll write a sort of... montage INSIDE AFA so it's not like a punch from left field. I'll include it with a chapter, though- it won't stand alone as its own chapter.

And as a prize for being so patient, I'm posting two chapters at once! Both written back in August... I am so sorry.

* * *

Marion's words seemed to echo around the room, if only for a moment, and Springtrap closed his eyes, his ears drooping down his back as he let out a sigh.

"Springtrap," Marion continued speaking, watching the rabbit, "the only way we can stop Corcran now is to go to Time's End Cove, and we will never get there first without knowing exactly where to go."

"I know," Springtrap agreed, lifting a hand to cover his eyes. He was clearly frustrated and upset but Foxy couldn't blame him. After all, they had dropped in on him very unannounced and then his home was attacked. Now they were basically asking him to return to piracy. "I know," the rabbit repeated softer.

"Look," Goldie grit out, wincing as Jeremy checked his side, "I don't care about whatever isolationist I'm-dead thing you've got goin' on here but they've got my brother and like hell am I gonna take that sittin' down, so with or without you we're goin' to Time's End Cove, but this would be a hell of a lot faster if you'd just take us there!"

"Friedrich," Foxy warned, eying the golden bear. It wasn't the best idea to yell at a Revived. However, the yelling didn't seem to aggravate the rabbit, so he didn't continue. The human medic, however, had other ideas.

"Stop yelling," Jeremy scolded the wounded bear, pushing him back against the wall. "You'll only make everything worse."

"Springtrap," Marion interrupted before the golden bear could say any more, "Golden is right. Whether or not you take us there, we will go, but if we could get there before Corcran then we can prevent the Key ever being used. As much as I hate to admit it, we cannot reach the Cove on our own in time. You have given us a general direction but you have already said it will take months to find it in the fog alone. We need help."

"We don't want to lose our friends," Bonzai added, his voice pathetically quiet and uncharacteristically subdued.

"Or the world, at that," Chickee added, wringing her hands together nervously. "If Mike is Scrawlbeard's key and they get to Time's End Cove before us..."

Foxy growled at the unvoiced thought, clenching his fist. "I should'a left him in Tralago, I knew it," he hissed, hitting his leg and turning away. "I should'a left him in Myrland! Even that would be better…"

"I'll take you there..."

The captain blinked and looked at Springtrap, shocked. He had expected the rabbit to keep stubbornly resisting, knowing that the mortal crew couldn't force him to do anything. The rabbit's eyes were still covered with a hand, his face tilted to the floor and his ears drooping straight down behind him, his other hand crossing his chest to clutch at his arm.

He was, at the moment, the perfect example of a nervous, upset wreck; he was surrounded by strangers being pressured to return to the last place he wanted to in the middle of his destroyed home after the first fight he'd been in in nearly three decades.

Of course he was nervous and upset.

But, Foxy realized, the rabbit understood exactly what was at stake. He understood that his comfort and isolation wasn't worth the consequences that forcing them to seek out Time's End Cove alone would bring about, that his own semi-happiness didn't mean nearly as much as the lives of the rest of the world.

"You will?" Chica asked, staring at the rabbit hopefully.

The rabbit took a deep, calming breath before letting his sliced hand fall away from his face, ignoring the streak of blood it left. His eyes remained closed, though, as he crossed his arms together, looking more like he was hugging himself than actually crossing his arms. "What choice is there? If you don't get there before this Corcran does then everything is lost. And... even if he wasn't a Key... there's no reason to let someone die like that..." The latter words were said so quietly that Foxy was sure Bonzai, Goldie, and Jeremy- the three furthest from the rabbit- weren't able to hear it.

Foxy gave the rabbit a tired grin. "Atta boy," he tried, though it clearly gave the rabbit no comfort. "Don't worry, lad, after we get Mikey back and throw Corcran off for good we'll help ye fix your home. 'Tis the least we can do after, y'know... accidentally leadin' Corcran here."

"Thanks, but I think it's time for me to move along again," Springtrap mumbled, opening his silver eyes. He looked towards the spilled basket of fruit, frowning as he examined the smashed plant matter. "I really need to get better at this hiding my tracks thing."

"Yeah, well, leavin' a book lyin' open to the page you were lookin' at before leavin' is a pretty big hint," Goldie told the rabbit, his grin coming across more as a grimace. "Tondoran's the only island with a giant lake in the middle of it, y'know."

Springtrap sighed and headed across the room to his toppled chair to grab his cloak and mask. "I'll be sure to avoid doing that again," he muttered, barely loud enough for the others to hear, as he pulled his mask and cloak back on, pulling the hood up over his ears. He noticed them watching him and, presumably, frowned under his mask. "What? You try living here for ten years and not get tired of that air on your fur and skin..."

Foxy snorted a bit and picked his own mask up. "We need t' wear our masks anyway, need t' dig ourselves outta the valley."

"What?" Bonzai blinked, looking surprised. "Dig?"

"Corcran blocked our path with stones," Chica informed the small bunny, grabbing her own mask as well. "What about Freddy? I don't think any of us can carry 'im. Goldie probably could but he's a bit injured right now."

"I'm awake," the bear muttered from where he still lay, startling everyone in the room. "Did we lose?"

"We might as well have," Goldie told him, watching as the bear slowly sit up and rub a hand across his wound. "Corcran nabbed Mike, Alfred, and Bonnie."

"Dammit," Freddy cursed, pushing himself unsteadily to his feet.

"Careful," Jeremy immediately reprimanded, standing up to grab the taller bear's shoulder. "You hit your head hard enough to knock you out."

"I figured that out already, son," Freddy forced a chuckle, looking around at the others. His eyes fell on his wounded brother and he frowned. "Goldie-"

"I know," Goldie interrupted, waving a hand dismissively. "Feels like I _just _got out of that damn infirmary and I'm goin' right back. Least I won't be alone."

"Goldie, Freddy, ye two and Fritz stay here while we dig out the stones," Foxy commanded, fastening his mask in place. "Jeremy, lad, stay with 'em 'nd make sure they don't do anythin' stupid."

"Hey-"

"Can it, Golden, I know how ye Fazbears be," Foxy snapped, heading towards the door. "Don't think I forgot about Cavana!"

If Mike had been there he would have asked what happened in Cavana, but he wasn't and Foxy hated that. He stalked down the path towards the fallen stones, feeling his heartrate pick up as he thought about Mike.

Mike, who was currently on Gene Corcran's ship and at the mercy of the crazy captain.

Mike, whose fate depended on Foxy and a Revived who wasn't exactly fond of _any _of them.

Mike, who he had failed to protect.

"You know..." a soft voice cut into his thoughts from behind, "It might go faster if you just let me deal with that mess."

He glanced over his shoulder at the Revived rabbit who had immediately followed, unnoticed by the Vulpine captain. "What do ye mean, lad?"

"I mean the rocks."

'_Oh. Right.'_

"I don't... I don't have very good control over my Power but I'm pretty sure I can deal with a pile of rocks," Springtrap added, glancing aside. He looked guilty. It only then occurred to Foxy that the rabbit could have prevented Mike from being taken- if he had known how to use his Power and hadn't been distracted with protecting the injured bear. He tried not to feel angry- tried not to blame the rabbit.

Part of him just couldn't help it.

"Ye left yer sword at Cathan," Foxy informed him, turning his attention back to the rocks. He had no idea how to go about this; the pile was twice as tall as himself. "It's in me cabin on _The Crimson Vixen._"

"Oh... I was wondering where I'd put it earlier," Springtrap sighed, stepping forward and lifting his hand. His eyes narrowed in concentration but it took only a few moments; after two seconds of concentration, both Animals jumped as the stones suddenly blasted free with an echoing _bang_, collapsing and scattering across the ground and turning to dust and smaller stones. "Oh... um... Sorry, I didn't think... that would..."

"Don't do that on my ship," Foxy laughed awkwardly, his eyes wide. He could hear footsteps running up behind them.

"Foxy, what the hell was that?!" Chica demanded, pausing as they came around the bend to see the wall of stones gone. "... Oh."

"I don't see a wall of stone," Bonzai commented and Foxy turned around to face them.

"Turns out Revived's Powers are scarily strong," he chirped with forced mirth. "Now let's get our tails to _The Vixen_ and get goin'! We'll all die o' ol' age at this rate!"

"Aye, Cap," Chica mock-saluted and headed back to Springtrap's home to tell the others. From beside Foxy Springtrap sighed.

"It'll be alright, lad," Foxy assured him, though he himself was now frowning. If a little concentration in removing rocks could cause _that_ to happen, what could Scrawlbeard do with an intent to destroy the world? And that- well, that right there made him rethink Springtrap's words about Revived not being able to _literally _destroy the world.

Those poor rocks were nothing more than dust on the ground now, being picked up and carried by the wind to who knows where.

"You realize if we fail everyone is doomed, right?"

Springtrap's words were soft but carried definite warning. Foxy turned to look at the Revived, frowning. "Then we just can't fail. I'm not lettin' Mikey die."

"Mike doesn't have to die for us to fail." Springtrap's silver eyes met Foxy's amber, looking grave and serious, too old and experienced for such a youthful face. "We both know there's going to be a fight. You need to make sure Mike stays away from Scrawlbeard's body. If even a drop of his blood lands on Scrawlbeard, it'll be enough." The rabbit leveled the captain with a serious, grim look, and Foxy knew whatever the rabbit was about to say next would change the entire game.

"Even if we save your friends, we can still fail."

It didn't sound very optimistic at all and Foxy didn't respond- he didn't know how to. He could hear shuffling steps approaching so he turned his gaze towards the bend, watching as Chica rounded with Goldie leaning heavily on her shoulder. Freddy followed, doing his best to walk without assistance, and Jeremy helped Fritz. Bonzai, Marion, and Chickee followed them quietly.

Although everyone wore their masks, there was a clear air about them that let the captain know they were all frowning. He wished he could say or do something to ease them, but he knew that there were no words in the world that would help them at that moment

Even he could feel that deep-seated worry and misery seeping into his bones.

* * *

It was tense on board the ship. No one knew what to think about the situation, and the addition of Springtrap had those who knew about the tale of _Mercy's End_ on edge, casting wary glances at the scarred Revived over their shoulder. They were heading to Cathan Port to resupply again, just in case, and the rabbit had pretty much disappeared; Foxy didn't know where to.

However, Foxy didn't much care about where the rabbit was; he knew he was on board and that was good enough. He'd hand the rabbit's sword over and test his combat skills, since he was sure the rabbit's skill would have become rusty over years of isolation and, well, not being in fights, but for right then he stood at the bow of the ship, staring intently out across the water.

There would be no celebration that night or any other night until Mike was safely on board again. The tension that had exploded into existence after Foxy's attempted murder only got stronger.

He heard heavy footsteps from behind and glanced over at his first mate. "They let'cha outt'a the infirmary?" He questioned, turning around to face the bear.

"It was just a crack on the head," Freddy dismissed. Foxy took that to mean he left without approval. "Goldie's sleepin' right now and Fritz is arguin' that his wound ain't bad enough to keep 'im outt'a the nest."

Foxy frowned and turned back around, leaning against the railing. "D'ya know who's up there right now?"

"Last I saw it looked like Antonio took up the job," Freddy answered, frowning as well. "He don't strike me as a very good lookout, y'know." Foxy snorted but nodded in agreement.

"Ah well, not like Corcran'll be givin' us any problems right now," Foxy sighed, rubbing his forehead. "He be far ahead of us."

"But he has to follow vague directions," Freddy reminded him. "We have the direct route."

"That we do," Foxy agreed. He stared at the approaching horizon, a frown in place. "D'ya think... they'll be alright?"

"Let's just try and think positive, Foxy," Freddy said softly, watching the waves below. "Alfred will try and get outt'a there but... he's not exactly trained for this kind'a thing, y'know...?"

"We'll save 'em, Freddy, I promise," Foxy declared with conviction, nodding to himself. "I won't let us fail."

Freddy glanced up at Foxy. "Don't make promises ya might not be able to keep, Foxy. I know how this could end."

"And we're both willin' to take that risk, aren't we?" Foxy sighed, looking at Freddy.

"When ya love someone, Foxy, any risk is worth takin'," Freddy told him softly. "Just like ye'll do anythin' for Mike and Chica'll do anythin' for Bonnie, I'll do anythin' for my brothers. And right now one o' my brothers has been taken by Corcran."

The two fell into silence, turning their eyes to the darkening horizon. Behind them lanterns were being lit and crewmembers were walking around, carrying on conversations about nothing in particular. It was tense, it was unhappy, it was a family in turmoil. And nothing Foxy did could fix it.

Thunder rolled. Foxy glanced at the cloudy horizon, watching the rolling waves of dark peek over at them. "Looks like we be gettin' ready for a storm," he sighed, pushing himself away from the rail. "Mate, if Jeremy don't find ye first, can ye find ol' Springtrap and bring him to me cabin? He needs his sword." He also wanted to question him about the book. He wanted to have _some_ information for Mike when they found him.

Freddy gave a silent nod and Foxy turned around, walking away from the railing and stuffing his hands into his coat pockets. In the distance, a storm was starting but in the hearts of the crew, the storm was already in full throttle.

* * *

"I think this belongs to ye."

Foxy watched the rabbit quietly, holding the ornate sheathed sword out to the rabbit. Springtrap's silver eyes flicked down to the equally-silver weapon, a small frown in place.

Knowing now that the rabbit had forgotten the sword, and not left it on purpose, made the Vulpine captain question whether or not the past was as in the past as the rabbit would have liked to believe, but the fact that it had taken the Revived ten years to even realize it wasn't with him was somewhat of a comfort. It signified that Springtrap had not completely left his past behind, but he had not been clinging to it either.

It was such a simple symbol, but whether or not the Revived had meant to leave it, Foxy handing it over to him meant something much more. It meant that Springtrap was expected to fight.

That Springtrap was, once again, a pirate.

After several seconds of silence, the rabbit sighed and took the sword from Foxy, holding it firmly by its hilt as he ran his fingers over the sheath. He didn't look happy or proud to be holding the sword, but the Vulpine captain knew what that sword meant to him. It had been Springtrap's weapon- the weapon that had cut down so many men and women back in a time where Springtrap had no morals.

Despite all of its beauty, with its gleaming silver and intricately-carved sheath and hilt, this weapon was stained with innocent blood.

Maybe that was why Springtrap had kept it all those years.

"Ye'll need it," Foxy told him after several seconds of silence.

"I know," was the rabbit's simple response, turning his silver eyes to the fox. "I have a feeling this isn't the only reason you asked me to come here."

"It's not," Foxy confirmed, turning towards his desk. The large book still sat there, though it had been closed before they had stepped foot on Tondoran. Springtrap followed Foxy's gaze to the book. "I have an idea, lad, but can ye tell me a bit about that book?"

There was a short silence before Springtrap approached Foxy's desk, reaching out with his empty hand to lightly touch the book. "It's just a history book, is all," the rabbit told him.

"On piracy," Foxy guessed, raising a brow.

"Not just on piracy," he sighed, fingers trailing over the symbols on the front. "But piracy is a big part of it. It's a history book about Mardok."

"Just Mardok?" Foxy was a little surprised; it was a _big_ book, and if it was just on Mardok…

"It's wrong in a lot of ways," the rabbit snorted, glancing back at Foxy. "But yes. It's a history book on just Mardok. That place had a lot of history, you know."

"And ye can read the language?" Foxy pressed, despite already knowing the answer. Springtrap raised a brow, unimpressed; clearly he knew Foxy already knew.

"I was born and raised there, so yes." The Revived averted his eyes, lightly running his fingers over the cover. His expression was almost blank as he added, "For the record... nothing in there will help with your friends. I don't know why you took it; it's literally useless."

"I don't think ye give the past enough credit," Foxy told him, crossing his arms. "A lot can be learned from the past."

Springtrap looked back at him, one hand resting on the book and the other, still clutching his sword, hanging at his side. "If you say so. But Mardok isn't going to help. Scrawlbeard never went there."

"Ah, Springy-lad," Foxy chuckled mirthlessly, watching the former captain. "Don't ye realize answers can be found in the most unexpected places?"

"What does that even mean?" Springtrap asked, turning to face Foxy fully and letting his hand slip away from the book. "The past-"

"-is our best reference for the future," Foxy cut Springtrap off, shaking his head. "If ye don't want other pirates befalling yer fate, then ye have to use _your _past to better _their _future. It's the same with Mardok; if ye don't want other cities to follow that path, then Mardok's past can better, say, Myrland's future... even though the two have nothing in common, a lesson can be learned."

The rabbit clearly didn't know how to respond to that. Foxy let his arms fall to his sides and nodded towards Springtrap's sword. "After the storm passes, lad, I expect ye to start trainin' with that again. I know ye don't fancy fightin' but there ain't much choice anymore."

With that, Foxy turned around and headed out the door, leaving the rabbit alone in the cabin.

He had a crew to lead.

* * *

When Mike came to, he found himself in an unfamiliar place. With a groan, he pushed himself up into a sitting position, looking around.

The first thing he noticed was the iron bars. The second thing he noticed was the scent of rotting, damp wood.

The third thing he noticed was the bear and rabbit lying, unconscious, on the floor within the same cell.

"Alfred...?" he mumbled, squinting into the darkness. "Bonnie...?"

After a few seconds, the bear shifted and groaned, a hand going to his head. "What happened...?"

"I think we lost," Mike told him, frowning. _'How did we get here? What happened... I... ran into Springtrap's room and... tried to hide... but then... Corcran grabbed me? I don't remember...'_

"That much is obvious, Mike," the bear sighed, pushing himself into a sitting position. "I'm surprised we're even alive..."

"What would be the point in killin' you?" another voice chuckled. Both witches' gazes snapped to the shadows outside of the bars and they watched, wide-eyed, as Corcran stepped into the dim light in front of the cell. One hand propped on his hip and the other holding a gun, the white-haired man's grin seemed to stretch grotesquely across his face... but Mike knew it was just the harsh shadows playing tricks on his eyes.

Either way, Gene Corcran looked like a demon straight out of hell.

"What do you mean?" Alfred growled lowly, and Mike could imagine the bear's icy eyes had narrowed.

"Well it'd be no fun to just _kill_ you!" the man cackled, twirling his pistol and pointing it at Alfred. "Besides, I need the Key alive for now. Fresh is best. You and the rabbit are collateral... My new playthings, you could say."

"We'll just escape, you know," Mike spoke up, his wide eyes trained on the gun. "We're-"

"Witches, I know," Corcran chuckled. "I knew before you did, boy. I assume Antonio's the one who told you, that little _rat..._ But that's beside the point." Lifting his empty hand, he tapped the bars with his knuckles, eyes gleaming in amusement. "Unfortunately for you, I've been _extensively_ studying Power for years and know how to neutralize it. You're surrounded by Arionite Iron, which, in case you don't know, renders you incapable of using your Power."

Mike and Alfred shared a troubled look. The human wasn't sure if they should trust the crazy captain's words- he wasn't even aware that you _could_ neutralize Power, and Corcran could have been bluffing.

"Go ahead, try," Corcran dared. After a few seconds of silence, Mike lifted his hand, concentrating on the little blue ball of light…

He felt nothing.

'_Oh my god he's telling the truth.'_

With wide eyes, Mike looked back at Alfred and slowly shook his head. They were powerless.

Literally.

Corcran's gleeful laugh caught Mike's attention and his gaze quickly snapped over to the white-haired human, whose grin somehow seemed to widen.

"Ya see?" he laughed, dropping his hand down by his side. "You're all at my mercy. If you know what's good for you, you'll comply."

The captain's eyes landed on Mike, his grin twisting into a sneer. "If you want your friends alive at the end of this, you'll do everything I say. As long as you comply, they get to live another day. Am I clear?"

Mike didn't look at Alfred, stubbornly meeting Corcran's gaze with his own glare. After several silent, tense moments, though, he realized the captain was not about to back down. A few more seconds passed before he scowled and gave a single, short nod of understanding. Corcran smirked victoriously.

"Good," he chuckled, finally lowering his weapon and sliding the gun into its sling. "Smart, too." His violet eyes trailed over to Alfred and the still-unconscious purple rabbit. "Besides," he added calmly, a smirk on his lips, "it would be such a shame for them to miss the end of the world.

"Your blood will be well-spent, Mr. Schmidt."

With that, the white-haired man whirled on his heel and walked away. Soon they were left with only the sound of the water and the creaking of the ship.

Slowly, Mike stood up and walked over to Bonnie. He didn't say a word.


	20. Chapter 19

**A/N**: This is just a look at how things are goin' on the ship after Mike was kidnapped and it's establishing a bit more of the lore and Springtrap's background. After this Springtrap will stop hogging the spotlight, I promise. His interactions with Foxy becomes less (because after this he starts interacting more with Goldie than Foxy) and since this story focuses on Mike and Foxy... yeah.

* * *

"Lad, ye be holdin' yer sword like it be a venomous snake."

"Well, sorry I haven't done this in a hundred years..."

"Ye should'a never let it get this bad, lad," Foxy snorted, watching as the golden rabbit held his sword awkwardly. It fit nicely in his hand- as expected, seeing as the hilt had been made specifically for that hand- but Springtrap just looked incredibly uncertain and nervous in his movements. Foxy knew if he actually _tried_ he could probably do it but at that moment the rabbit still wasn't taking the "lessons" very seriously.

Much like Mike hadn't... _'__and look where he is now.'_

Foxy shoved that thought out of his mind and focused on the Revived rabbit, who was simply watching him with a furrowed brow and pursed lips. "At least hold yer sword right," he sighed, shaking his head. "Ye be more likely t' hurt yeself than an enemy like that."

"Well considering I don't _want_ to hurt anyone-" Springtrap started but silenced when Foxy held his hooked hand up. His frown deepened; Foxy knew the rabbit wasn't used to taking orders.

He had been a captain himself once, after all. He was used to _giving_ the orders, not taking them.

"Listen, Springy lad," Foxy started, smirking a bit as the rabbit's cut ear twitched in irritation, "this here be practice fer th' real thing. Ye said so yerself that ye know there'll be a fight and ye can't rely on yer magic or whatever. So practice like it be th' real thing!" He accented this by stepping forward and striking at the rabbit. Alarmed, the rabbit quickly lifted his sword, parrying the blow, but he lost his grip on the sword and it clattered to the ground. "See, lad, hold yer sword right!"

Springtrap's brows drew together and he scowled slightly, picking his sword up off of the ground. "I really don't want to hurt anyone, Foxy..."

"I know how t' parry and dodge," Foxy snorted, twirling his sword and falling back into position. "Now, lad, I know not all o' yer skills can have disappeared. Ye were once known fer yer swordwork."

"Yeah, when I actually enjoyed killing people," Springtrap deadpanned, but he gripped his sword- properly this time, Foxy noted- and dropped into a defensive position. This time, when Foxy struck, Springtrap properly blocked his blade and slid it around so that his blade went far right and he was left open to attack. However, Foxy wasn't about to stay open to attack; he leapt away and whirled around, Springtrap bringing his sword up to block the attack again.

Foxy could tell the rabbit was still holding back. It was clear he was only going to play a defensive role here.

Foxy would just have to fix that. _Without _getting himself killed, of course.

Their clashing swords caught the attention of passing crewmembers who paused to watch their captain and the ex-captain spar, joining the little audience they had already had. Freddy was leaning against the rail, watching with a small frown in place, while Goldie sat on the ground next to him with Jeremy on his other side looking rather bored and worried, respectively.

It was clear that Springtrap was only defending; he had not once actually struck at the Vulpine captain, instead only dodging and parrying blows. It was equally clear that Foxy was trying to get the rabbit to actually fight back.

Admittedly, the Revived was a little rusty but he was much better than Mike had ever been at it.

Of course, that might have been because he was, well... _holding back_. Who knew how "rusty" his skills were; after all, no one knew how well preserved physical skills were in Revived.

"Lad, this ain't gonna get anywhere if'n ye keep defendin'!" Foxy impatiently told the rabbit as his blow was intercepted again.

"I already said I don't want to hurt anyone," the rabbit growled, twisting his blade around to knock Foxy's blow off course. "Purposefully or accidentally."

"I'm testin' ye, lad, 'nd s'far ye ain't doin' so well," Foxy huffed, feigning. Springtrap, however, foresaw the feign and dodged the real attack. _'Clearly he still knows how to fight.'_

"I came to be your guide, not one of your crew," Springtrap reminded the fox a bit heatedly- possibly as a hint to stop bossing him around as well as being a reminder. "Besides, I don't need someone else judging whether or not I'm good enough for _anything_."

There must have been a story behind that one. However, Foxy gave it no mind at the moment. "Look, lad, jus' use the flat side o' th' blade, ain't nobody tellin' ye t' actually hit me," he said through gritted teeth. "Subdue me or somethin', but this'll go on all day if ye jus' keep dodgin'!"

"This is meaningless, you know," Springtrap sighed and sidestepped Foxy's next attack, but he winced as his brief moment of distraction caused him to miscalculate his dodge and Foxy's blade nicked his shoulder.

"Ye were sayin'?" Foxy mocked, smirking at the rabbit who glanced at his shoulder. A thin line of blood could be seen through the torn fabric. "Fight me right, _boy_," he added, stressing the last word; he had quickly picked up on the fact that the rabbit didn't like being treated like an underling or child. He wasn't sure if it was the rabbit's age, history as a captain, or just a side-effect from seventy years of being dead and thirty years of isolation.

Either way, it clearly bothered the rabbit and Foxy was willing to do what it took to get him to fight back.

Springtrap gave a soft huff and this time, when Foxy's blade struck his, the rabbit didn't simply deflect the blow. No, he deflected the blow... and then twisted the blade in a way that twisted the fox's arm, forcing him to turn around, and he grabbed the captain's wrist, putting just enough pressure to force the fox to let go of his sword, the rabbit's own blade naturally finding its place at the captain's throat- leaving just enough distance that the watching crew knew that the rabbit had no real intention of harming their captain.

Foxy blinked in surprise and glanced over his shoulder towards the Revived. "Ye disarmed 'nd subdued me in seven seconds flat," he commented, raising a brow at him. "See, if ye had just done that from th' start then half o' this fight wouldn't've even happened." Springtrap released his wrist and dropped his sword away from the fox's throat, frowning.

"I was notorious for being able to kill someone before they even realized what was happening. You don't honestly think I don't have tricks up my sleeve, do you?" He questioned, watching the Vulpine pick his sword back up.

"Lad, ye lived nearly a hundred years before I was born," Foxy reminded him. "I don't know what ye can or can't do. All I know are legends and stories."

"Stop calling me lad," Springtrap sighed, sheathing his sword. He very pointedly avoided looking at their small audience. "I'm like a hundred years older than you, after all."

Foxy chuckled. "I call everyone lad, get used to it. Ye should get that cut checked."

"I'll be fine," the rabbit dismissed easily enough, barely brushing his fingers over the tear in his shirt. "Flesh wound." Foxy's eyes trailed to the rabbit's arm where a deep gash, carefully stitched up after the human medic hunted the rabbit down, was still healing. The rabbit's hands' cuts had been shallower and were already well on their way to healing, but his arm...

"Ye said th' same 'bout that one 'nd it still ain't shown no progress," Foxy snorted, sitting down to clean his blade. Even though none of the rabbit's blood had actually gotten on it he prefered to keep it as clean as possible.

"I told you, we don't heal at a faster rate or anything like that," Springtrap mumbled, his hand going over to his arm.

"'Nd people usually don't use their arm t' block a blade in th' first place," Foxy pointed out, looking up at Freddy. "Fritz in th' nest?"

"Against Jeremy's orders, yes," Freddy confirmed, nodding. "Goldie's jealous." Foxy smirked and shook his head.

"Well too bad, ye'll get back t' th' nest soon enough," he told Goldie who simply huffed in response. "Methinks it's almost lunch time, aye?"

"Yeah," Freddy agreed, glancing down at Goldie and Jeremy. "We'll meet ya there?" When Foxy nodded, Freddy helped Goldie to his feet and headed towards the galley, Jeremy following. The other crewmembers that had gathered took a moment longer to get Foxy's hint; they left to resume their work, leaving the captain alone with the ex-captain.

Foxy turned to look at Springtrap, frowning. "Look, lad, I know yer not one of my boys but ye _are_ on me ship. Ye should give me the proper respect of a cap'n."

"You say after not even giving me the proper respect of _not_ calling me boy or lad," Springtrap shot back with a frown. "I'll give you the proper respect if you stop that, I'm not a kid."

"Ye be actin' like one," Foxy laughed humorlessly, crossing his arms. The rabbit's ears twitched and his frown deepened. Foxy sighed. "Look, la- _Springtrap_, I understand ye don't take orders well. Bein' alone fer a hundred years 'nd a cap'n before that fer, what, ten years? That tends t' make one not used t' takin' orders. 'Nd I know ye don't even want t' be here, but th' fact is ye _are_ here 'nd ye clearly understand the concept o' pullin' yer own weight- lord knows I ain't been askin' ye to do half th' things ye help th' crew with- so righ' now ye just need t' accept it th' way it be. Ye be on a pirate ship again. I know ye don't like it, ye don't be a pirate anymore, but ye got t' understand that even as a guest ye need to give respect to th' ship's authority. Ye don't seem to have a problem givin' that to th' other officers."

"The other officers don't insist on calling me lad and boy," Springtrap pointed out. He sighed a bit and glanced aside, towards the floor with a strange, guilty gleam entering his eyes. Clearly whatever he was thinking about wasn't happy, but he continued speaking anyway. "Look, _Captain_, I don't care about taking orders. I just don't like being treated like I'm new to these things. I became a pirate when I was fifteen- I lived this life and I died this life already. I don't like being treated like a cabin boy. I don't mind taking orders- hell, I'd resent you if you made me _give _orders- but stop treating me like I've never done these things before!" The rabbit huffed a bit, clearly getting worked up about it as he suddenly began pacing, eyes glaring towards the floor.

"I fought in and won three hundred and sixty-two battles over a ten year period, _Captain_, and that isn't even counting the ones that took place on land. I've destroyed entire towns and slaughtered entire crews, I've kidnapped more than my fair share of attractive persons to sell on a black market and I asserted my authority over other powerful people more times than I like to admit. I've earned the trust of tens of crews and convinced them to mutiny, I had up to a few _thousand_ people under my thumb; I stole the hearts of at least a hundred men and women when I _wasn't_ killing everyone in sight- and that isn't even counting the people I charmed into obedience in my _own crew_. Every trick in the book I've used it, every type of fight- done it. Every horrible thing you can think of; been there, done that! I'm not new to these things."

Foxy let the rabbit rant to him, arms still crossed and watching the rabbit with a small frown. There was an angry flush on the rabbit's cheeks but his eyes clearly reflected the shame and regret he felt.

"I've fought, I've killed, I've been the spotter, I've been the helmsman- I just want to stop, okay? I don't want to be those things anymore but I'll be damned before I'm treated like I've never committed any of those atrocities!"

The silence that fell between them was tense, but now Foxy understood. Springtrap wasn't aggravated at being treated like a child.

He was bothered by the suggestion of innocence that came with it.

Once it became clear that the rabbit wasn't going to say any more, Foxy finally said, "Ye don't need t' punish yerself fer bein' what pirates are, Springtrap."

"You're a pirate and you haven't done anything like I have," Springtrap scoffed, turning away to look at the water. He clearly didn't want to look the captain in the eye. "And who says I'm punishing myself? That's just... stupid."

"Ye go into isolation after bein' Revived 'nd ye hate yerself fer th' things ye did, but at th' same time ye refuse t' let 'em go 'nd start anew," Foxy stated flatly, watching the rabbit's ears flop down. "Ye even kept yer sword- the biggest reminder o' what ye had done. It sounds an awful lot t' me like ye don't want t' be treated like a newcomer 'cause ye don't want t' feel like ye can forgive yeself. Or let anyone else forgive ye, fer that matter."

"I don't want to be treated like a newcomer because I'm not," the rabbit responded softly, devoid of emotion. He finally turned back to Foxy, frowning. "Please- just stop treating me like a cabin boy. I don't need training on how to fight, I could probably outfight the majority of your crew. I don't need to be taught how to climb the rigging or set the sails or steer the ship or any of those things because I learned those things before your grandmother was even born, and I _died _with those skills so I was _Revived _with those skills and no amount of time is going to erase what I was Revived with."

"Springtrap," Foxy started, watching the rabbit, "ye be helpin' us even when ye don't have t' or want t'. Ye could'a just let us go on our own 'nd flail around uselessly fer six or more damn months but instead ye be here with us, even though ye want t' be anywhere else. I'm really grateful for that- I don't want to lose Mikey. He means... a lot to me," he admitted with a frown to himself, glancing at the water. "I don't want to lose him. And... you're helpin' me get him back." He lifted his gaze to look at those unnaturally silver eyes. "So, well, that's good enough for me to prove you're a good person."

There was silence, less tense than before, between them as both Animals simply watched each other. After several long seconds passed, Springtrap sighed and turned away again, saying, "He's your boy, huh..."

"What?" Foxy blinked, brow furrowing as he watched the rabbit. Was Springtrap _implying _something? "What's that s'posed t' mean?"

The golden rabbit turned to him, shaking his head slightly with a forced smile. "It's nothing. Just something I used to say. Mike's important to you, I know... but he's important to all of you. So's the Fazbears' brother and the cook's lover. They're... all very important. Everyone's important to someone, you know? I know that... that's the only reason I'm helping you... well, that and because I don't fancy the end of the world..." The rabbit trailed off with a frown, almost getting a snort from Foxy. "... but it's nice seeing people who honestly care about each other."

"So ye be helpin' us 'cause we have humanity," Foxy summarized. "And if ye don't the world is likely t' end."

"Pretty much," Springtrap agreed with a small, sad smile. He seemed more relaxed already. "You should join your crew, Captain. They're probably worried right now."

"How about ye join us, Springtrap?" he suggested, raising a brow at the rabbit. "I haven't seen ye eat a thing since ye boarded."

"I don't need to eat and I don't think I'd be very welcome," Springtrap answered, shaking his head slightly. "I could send your spotter your way, though... he needs to eat too."

"Aye, if ye would," Foxy agreed, frowning. "Don't be afraid t' join us, l- Springtrap. We don't bite."

"I'll be up in the nest," was the only response he got, and then the rabbit was gone.

* * *

Foxy stood at the bow of the ship like so many times before, just staring across the waves towards their destination. The water seemed to go on forever and he felt rather hopeless. None of them knew where Corcran was... and therefore they didn't know where Mike or Bonnie or Alfred were. For all they knew, they could be _following _them.

...

Actually, that sounded like a very good possibility. Undoubtedly Corcran would have realized they were speaking to a Revived. Following them to Time's End Cove would get Corcran there faster. Frowning, he turned around, staring across deck towards the stern of the ship. Of course it was blocked from sight but it wasn't like he was _actually_ looking for the ship; he was just thinking.

Because he knew if _he_ wanted to get somewhere quicker, he'd take the fastest route... in which case was the route the Revived led them on. And Foxy had the Revived... not Corcran.

Logically, Corcran's best action was to follow them... again.

"Somethin' on your mind?"

Foxy nearly jumped out of his skin, turning to his left to look at his friend. He was half-expecting to see Freddy even though the voice wasn't right; Freddy always seemed to catch him out there, after all. But instead it was Goldie, a frustrated crease in his brow but a concerned gleam in his eye.

"Golden, ain't ye s'posed t' be in the infirmary?" Foxy questioned instead of answering, raising a brow at the bear. "Last I checked ye could barely walk without leanin' on someone or somethin'."

"Jeremy went to sleep, takin' advantage of the freedom," Goldie answered with a shrug, glancing towards the sky. "Ya know I prefer bein' awake in the night, anyway."

"Insomnia strikes again," Foxy snorted, turning back towards the water. "I was just wonderin' where Mikey and Bonnie and yer brother were. 'Nd if Corcran is followin' us, just out o' sight." He didn't look at the bear, knowing what he'd see there; the worry anyone would feel for their brother, the worry anyone would feel for their friends.

And, of course, the flash of anger at the mention of Corcran.

"What makes ya think he's followin' us?" Goldie asked, his voice sounding oddly dangerous. Not that Foxy could blame him. For all Goldie knew, his brother was dead.

"Corcran ain't an idiot, Golden," Foxy sighed, rubbing his forehead. "He'll know we were talkin' t' Springtrap 'nd he'll know Springtrap is a Revived. 'Nd he'll know Springtrap is on th' _Vixen._ That makes th' path we're takin' th' fastest route."

"So... followin' us will get him to Time's End faster, too," Goldie summarized. Foxy nodded his confirmation and Goldie sighed. "Foxy, do ya really think we would've been better off with the Revived on our ship?" he asked, his voice low despite them being the only ones on deck. Apparently he was aware that Springtrap was still out and about up in the rigging, too.

"It's either take Springtrap, risk bein' followed, get t' Time's End first, 'nd save Mikey 'nd them, or take our chances 'nd try 'nd find our own way 'nd maybe get there too late," Foxy responded dully, staring at the waves. "Besides, it might come in handy, havin' not just a Revived with us but someone who used t' be th' most feared cap'n on the seas in his time."

"Ha, I don't even see how he became a captain," Goldie scoffed, staring at the water. "He's too soft. Too fluffy."

"I be soft 'nd fluffy."

"Yeah but you don't look like a puff ball."

"Fair," Foxy agreed with a snort, tapping his hook lightly against the railing. "Trust me, Golden, the Revived can hold 'is own. 'Nd if Corcran succeeds in Revivin' Scrawbeard he might be our only chance at survivin'." He paused and glanced at the bear, seeing a sharp frown on his face. He wondered why it bothered Goldie so much; normally so friendly and welcoming, Goldie seemed to have disliked Springtrap from the moment he first saw him. It was so... uncharacteristic of Goldie and it confused Foxy, but he couldn't let that dislike get in the way of their mission. "Right now we need his help, Golden, so play nice."

"I always play nice."

"No ye don't," Foxy chuckled mirthlessly, pushing himself away from the rail. "By th' way, Golden, once ye be cleared by Marion's medic ye'll be startin' trainin'."

"Trainin'?" Goldie looked at him, wide-eyed. "What for?"

"Yer swordwork," Foxy deadpanned, staring at Goldie and daring him to disagree. "Ye've been good enough t' get by but ye 'nd I both know that be 'cause Freddy always had yer back. Ye almost got yerself killed on Tondoran 'nd I'll be damned if I lose another friend. So soon as yer cleared fer duty, ye'll be trainin'. We can't always be there to save your skin, Golden."

"Just give me a gun, I'm a good enough shot," Goldie protested, looking a bit upset. Clearly he didn't want to do the training, but Foxy wasn't going to let up on it.

"Guns are ranged weapons," Foxy told him, crossing his arms. "Someone right in front of ye would run ye through 'fore ye could lift it. Ye need th' sword for defense too, ye know."

"But-"

"This is non-negotiable, Friedrich," Foxy interrupted, putting on his "captain" voice. Goldie's mouth snapped shut, staring at him with a frown. Foxy didn't care that he was unhappy about this, Goldie _needed _to be safe. "'Nd once we get Mikey 'nd Bonnie back, they'll be doin' the same," Foxy assured him. "Anyone on this ship who can't hold their own in battle will be joinin' ye."

Goldie was silent for several seconds, his brown eyes studying Foxy's face. Finally, he said, "You're scared."

It almost felt like a punch to the gut. No one had ever accused Captain Foxy of _The Crimson Vixen_ of being _scared_. Foxy's shock must have shown on his face because Goldie gave him a wry, tired smile.

"It's kinda obvious," the bear told him. "You've never acted like this before, your eyes say it all. You're scared to lose us. Ya chose the wrong life for that, Foxy."

"Piracy is my life," Foxy told him, trying to keep the waver out of his voice. "But I won't lose my men unnecessarily. Ye bein' my friend has nothin' t' do with that."

The silence that fell between them was tense, but Foxy's stubbornness was beat only by Mike and Freddy, so it was Goldie who gave up the staredown first, turning back towards the ocean.

"Ya know, you're startin' to make me think we've gotten into somethin' that can't be won, Foxy," Goldie told him quietly. "If Corcran succeeds, is there any point in livin'? We'll have lost everythin' anyway."

"Golden," Foxy sighed, watching the bear. "Corcran succeedin' does not mean we'll have lost everythin'. There's always somethin' t' live for, even when th' world is in turmoil. Even if we lose everythin', I won't give up."

"But if Mike dies, your tune will be different," Goldie accused. "Mike _is_ the world to ya... ain't he?"

Foxy didn't know how to answer. Goldie just gave him another wry smile and a shrug before he turned and walked away, using the ship's railing as a support. The Vulpine captain watched until he was out of sight before turning back to the sea, the tenseness never leaving his body.

The next few months would be long and tedious but they'd make it through. They always did.

* * *

**A/N**: Did I mention I really like pairings where they don't get along at first? Well, I do. So there.


End file.
